Eigenfunctions of the Laplace-Beltrami Operator on Hyperboloids

Eigenfunctions of the Laplace-Beltrami operator on a hyperboloid are studied in the spirit of the treatment of the spherical harmonics by Stein and Weiss. As a special case, a simple self-contained proof of Laplace's integral for a Legendre function is obtained.Comment: 5 page

Inductive Algebras for Finite Heisenberg Groups

A characterization of the maximal abelian sub-algebras of matrix algebras that are normalized by the canonical representation of a finite Heisenberg group is given. Examples are constructed using a classification result for finite Heisenberg groups.Comment: 5 page

Steady state behaviour in atomic three-level lambda and ladder systems with incoherent population pumping

The steady state in three-level lambda and ladder systems is studied. It is well-known that in a lambda system this steady state is the coherent population trapping state, independent of the presence of spontaneous emission. In contrast, the steady state in a ladder system is in general not stable against radiative decay and exhibits a minimum in the population of the ground state. It is shown that incoherent population pumping destroys the stability of the coherent population trapping state in the lambda system and suppresses a previously discovered sharp dip in the steady state response. In the ladder system the observed minimum disappears in the presence of an incoherent pump on the upper transition.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.