Resonant and off-resonant transients in electromagnetically induced transparency: turn-on and turn-off dynamics

This paper presents a wide-ranging theoretical and experimental study of non-adiabatic transient phenomena in a $\Lambda $ EIT system when a strong coupling field is rapidly switched on or off. The theoretical treatment uses a Laplace transform approach to solve the time-dependent density matrix equation. The experiments are carried out in a Rb$^{87}$ MOT. The results show transient probe gain in parameter regions not previously studied, and provide insight into the transition dynamics between bare and dressed states.