Creation of Coherent Superposition States in Inhomogeneously Broadened Media with Relaxation

We propose and analyze a scheme for "on demand" creation of coherent superposition of meta-stable states in a tripod-structured atom using frequency-chirped laser pulses. Negligible excitation of the atoms during the creation of the superposition states is a priority in our consideration. The underlying physics of the scheme is explained using the formalism of adiabatic states. By numerically solving master equation for the density matrix operator, we analyze the influence of the spontaneous decay and transverse relaxation on the efficiency of the creation of superposition states. We show that the proposed scheme is robust against small-to-medium variations of the parameters of the laser pulses. We provide a detailed analysis of the effect of the inhomogeneous (Doppler-) broadening on the efficiency of the coherence creation and show that the proposed scheme may be equally efficient in both homogeneously and Doppler-broadened media.