Resonance-leaking to specific background states: a loss mechanism in molecular multiphoton transitions

The phenomena where the selectivity of a resonant π-pulse resonant multiphoton (MP) transition to a target state along a strongly coupled ladder progression was reduced by a background level was analyzed. The two additional subsets of background states affect the specific system-to-background transition. The phenomena was shown to occur when the resonant MP transition to the background state includes the target state as an intermediate rung and competes with the resonant ladder transition.