Enhanced Kerr nonlinearity in a left-handed three-level atomic system driven by a bichromatic field

Enhanced Kerr nonlinearity in a left-handed atomic system consisting of three levels driven by a bichromatic field is presented in this paper. Based on bichromatic field coherence, the real parts of the permittivity and permeability can obtain negative values simultaneously in the same detuning frequency region. By adjusting the frequency difference and the Rabi frequencies of the bichromatic field, the multi-band left-handed behavior of the presented atomic metamaterial is exhibited. Meanwhile, the enhanced Kerr nonlinearity can be realized in this multi-band left-handed three-level atomic system. It is shown that the third-order susceptibility possesses focusing or defocusing properties in the same frequency band.