Coherent control of strong field multiphoton absorption in the presence of dynamic Stark shifts

We show that coherent control of multiphoton transitions is possible in the strong field limit, even in the presence of large dynamic Stark shifts. By tailoring the phase of an ultrafast laser pulse, one can compensate for the dynamic Stark shift during the atom-field interaction to achieve efficient population transfer in two-photon absorption. Numerical simulations for atomic sodium reveal efficient population transfer from the ∣3s⟩ ground state to the ∣4s⟩ excited state using an appropriately shaped ultrafast laser pulse. The theory and simulations provide insight into coherent control of more complicated multiphoton processes.