Stimulated emission times this net transition rate. In order for this to be a positive number, indicating net stimulated emission, there must be more atoms in the excited state than in the lower level: formula_6. Otherwise there is net absorption and the power of the wave is reduced during passage through the medium. The special condition formula_7 is known as a population inversion, a rather unusual condition that must be effected in the gain medium of a laser. The notable characteristic of stimulated emission compared to everyday light sources (which depend on spontaneous emission) is that the emitted photons have the same
Sound amplification by stimulated emission of radiation is possible. In a two level system, the particles have only two available energy levels, separated by some energy difference: "ΔΕ = E - E = hv" where "ν" is the frequency of the associated electromagnetic wave of the photon emitted and "h" is the Planck constant. Also note: "E" > "E". These two levels are the excited (upper) and ground (lower) states. When a particle in the upper state interacts with a photon matching the energy separation of the levels, the particle may decay, emitting another photon with the same phase and frequency as the incident photon. Therefore, by