Robust control in ultracold alkali metals using a single linearly chirped pulse

We theoretically investigate the population dynamics of the valence electron of elements of the alkali series induced by nanosecond linearly chirped (LC) pulses having kW cm^-2 beam intensity and examine two different shapes of the pulse envelope. We demonstrate the possibility of controllable population transfer between hyperfine (HpF) levels of the S orbital through Raman transitions. We assume that the atoms are in the state of an ultracold vapor and Doppler free. Detuning slightly below the one-photon resonance condition with the lowest of the HpF states of the corresponding P orbital avoids interaction of the pulse with the other HpF levels of the P orbital and allows us to enter the adiabatic region of population transfer at very low field intensities, such that the corresponding Rabi frequencies are on the order of the hyperfine splitting of the S orbital. This methodology provides a robust way to create a specially designed superposition state in such atoms in the basis of the HpF levels and perform state manipulation controllable on the picosecond-to-nanosecond timescale.