Preparation of an N-component maximal coherent superposition state using the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage method - art. no. 043401

We present a simple method for creating a maximal coherent superposition of N states (a superposition state with equal amplitudes) in a robust way. We show that in the adiabatic limit the robustness of the population transfer out of a single state to the superposition state is equivalent to stimulat ed Raman adiabatic passage. As is typical for schemes based upon population trapping the method is insensitive to radiative decay from excited states.