Theory of quantum beats: Master equation approach

Based on the master equation approach, an expression for the time dependent fluorescence intensity has been derived taking into account both collision effects resulting from the elastic and inelastic scattering from the heat bath and the statistical properties of the incident light. The degree of coherence for the molecular eigenstates is defined. The pure dephasing constant between the excited states attenuates the degree of coherence for the molecular eigenstates during and after the light pulse duration; on the other hand, the pure dephasing between the ground and excited states attenuates it during the pulse duration. A separable nonstationary correlation function for the incident radiation field is introduced to investigate the effects of the field coherence on the time dependent fluorescence. Model calculations of the quantum beats in the fluorescence from molecules with two levels in the excited state in the weak radiation field have been performed to demonstrate the effects of the dephasing constants and the field coherence as well as those of the population decay constants.