Interference between two resonant transitions with distinct initial and final states connected by radiative decay

Abstract

The resonant line shape from driving a transition between two states, $|\rm{a}\rangle$ and $|\rm{b}\rangle$, can be distorted due to a quantum-mechanical interference effect involving a resonance between two different states, $|\rm{c}\rangle$ and $|\rm{d}\rangle$, if $|\rm{c}\rangle$ has a decay path to $|\rm{a}\rangle$ and $|\rm{d}\rangle$ has a decay path to $|\rm{b}\rangle$. This interference can cause a shift of the measured resonance, despite the fact that the two resonances do not have a common initial or final state. As an example, we demonstrate that such a shift affects measurements of the atomic hydrogen 2S$_{1/2}$-to-2P$_{1/2}$ Lamb-shift transition due to 3S-to-3P transitions if the 3S$_{1/2}$ state has some initial population.