Preparation of coherent superposition in a three-state system by adiabatic passage -: art. no. 013415

We examine the topology of eigenenergy surfaces associated to a three-state system driven by two quasi-resonant fields. We deduce mechanisms that allow us to generate various coherent superposition of two states using an additional field, far off resonances. We report the numerical validations in mercury atoms as a model system, creating the coherent superpositions of two excited states and of two states coupled by a Raman process.