Radiative processes in a bichromatic laser field with multiple frequencies

A review of experimental and theoretical studies on radiative processes induced by a bichromatic (two-frequency) laser radiation in atoms, molecules, and solids is presented. The optical excitation of matter is considered at transitions of different types: bound–bound, bound–free, and free–free. A special attention is devoted to the possibility of the coherent control of the basic characteristics of radiative phenomena by varying the relative phase of monochromatic components of radiation. It is shown that this method opens up new possibilities for controlling photoinduced processes.