Abstract. The authors present an exact treatment of two- and multiquantum transitions in three-level systems driven by two intense linearly polarised monochromatic fields based on the semiclassical many-mode Floquet theory developed recently. Further they extend the almost degenerate perturbation theory of Salwen (1955-6) to the two-mode Floquet Hamiltonian and obtain approximate analytical formulae for multiphoton transition probabilities, resonance bichromatic shifts and widths, and absorption lineshapes beyond the conventional rotating-wave approximation (RWA). Detailed comparison of the analytical, the RWA, and the exact results is given. Several novel features of multiphoton lineshape characteristics are pointed out.

Print publication: Issue 23 (14 December 1985)