E-field dependence of the ac Stark effect probed by a bichromatic laser field

In this paper we demonstrate, through numerical calculations, the possibility of determining the field dependence of the ac Stark effect through the interaction of an atom (or molecule) with a bichromatic ultrafast laser field. The time-dependent Schrodinger equation is solved for a single active electron confined to move in a square-well potential distorted by an intense Stark field in combination with a perturbative probe field which connects a pair of levels through photon absorption. The aim is to determine the field parameters that allow the dependence of the dynamic shift of the optically connected levels on the Stark field to be mapped out in real time. The calculations show that this can be achieved when the duration of the probe field is at least as short as the half-cycle period of the Stark field. An experimental realization of the proposed measurement scheme and its limitations are discussed. It is also possible, in principle, to adopt the ac Stark effect to determine the absolute phase of the carrier wave of an ultrafast laser pulse.