The transient four-wave-mixing signal from a three-level system is calculated in the short-pulse limit including a general distribution function for the energies of the levels between which beating occurs. This allows an examination of the effects of correlation between the energetic splitting of the levels. As expected, the results demonstrate that the degree of correlation can significantly alter the four-wave-mixing signal. However, the results also show that in the case where the level energies are completely correlated, in a rigorous sense, but that the correlation is not a simple offset, a strong modification of the beat amplitude occurs. This case describes the type of correlation expected in semiconductor quantum wells. Examination of several representative cases demonstrates that these effects can easily be incorrectly ascribed to dephasing.

• Received 14 October 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.49.3114