Absorption spectra and enhanced Kerr nonlinearity in a four-level system

Abstract

In a coherent system, enhanced nonlinearity can be reached via far-detuned coupling fields in the presence of Autler--Townes splitting. We explore the absorption spectra and the Kerr nonlinearity of the coherent system via the interaction between a four-level atomic system and triple fields. We obtain the absorption spectra with double, triple and even quadruple peaks which depend on both the magnitude and the difference of the coupling fields. The Kerr nonlinearity always remains reversely correlated with the absorption spectra. We find that the large coupling detunings can lead to a significant growth of the Kerr nonlinearity and the degenerate four-wave mixing. Both the Kerr nonlinearity and the four-wave mixing can be managed by adjusting the detunings of the coupling fields.