Optimized control of Stark-shift-chirped rapid adiabatic passage in a Λ-type three-level system

Inhomogeneous broadening of energy levels is one of the principal limiting factors for achieving “slow” or “stationary” light in solid-state media by means of electromagnetically induced transparency, a quantum version of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP). Stark-shift-chirped rapid adiabatic-passage (SCRAP) has been shown to be far less sensitive to inhomogeneous broadening than STIRAP, a population transfer technique to which it is closely related. We further optimize the pulses used in SCRAP to be even less sensitive to inhomogeneous broadening in a Λ-type three-level system. The optimized pulses perform at a higher fidelity than the standard Gaussian pulses for a wide range of detunings (i.e., large inhomogeneous broadening).