Splitting of the electromagnetically induced transparency resonance on 85Rb atoms in strong magnetic fields up to the Paschen-Back regime

Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonance in strong magnetic fields of up to 1.7 kG has been investigated with the use of a 30-??m cell filled with an atomic rubidium vapor and neon as a buffer gas. The EIT resonance in the ?? system of the D₁ line of ⁸⁵Rb atoms has been formed with the use of two narrowband (??1 MHz) 795-nm diode lasers. The EIT resonance in a longitudinal magnetic field is split into five components. It has been demonstrated that the frequencies of the five EIT components are either blue- or red-shifted with an increase in the magnetic field, depending on the frequency ??_P of the probe laser. In has been shown that in both cases the ⁸⁵Rb atoms enter the hyperfine Paschen-Back regime in magnetic fields of >1 kG. The hyperfine Paschen-Back regime is manifested by the frequency slopes of all five EIT components asymptotically approaching the same fixed value. The experiment agrees well with the theory.     

Chaos in an electromagnetically induced transparent medium inside an optical cavity

We theoretically predict and experimentally demonstrate chaotic behaviors in a system comprising of three-level atoms inside an optical ring cavity. This electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) system is driven to chaos through period-doubling route by reducing the frequency detuning of the coupling laser beam. The chaos occurs in a different parametric regime as previously predicted and is believed to be caused by the enhanced dispersion and nonlinearity due to induced atomic coherence in such EIT system.     

Optical pumping of the Zeeman components in the rubidium vapor

We investigated the optical pumping of the Zeeman components of rubidium atoms, in the presence of the external magnetic field ranging from the geomagnetic up to 130 Gauss. Using the saturated absorption spectroscopy with linearly polarized pump and probe laser beams, the rubidium Doppler-free spectra at different magnetic field strengths were measured. The dips (negative intensity signals) in the saturated absorption spectra of the ⁸⁷Rb hyperfine transition lines were observed. They come as a result of the alignment process induced by the incoherent population transfer due to the hyperfine optical pumping. By inspection of the dips for different magnetic field strengths we were able to conclude about the dynamics of the alignment process in the external magnetic field. Present work is a part of the investigations concerning the influence of the magnetic field on the velocity selective optical pumping of the rubidium atoms induced by femtosecond frequency comb [D. Aumiler, T. Ban, H. Skenderovi?, G. Pichler, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95 (2005) 233001; T. Ban, D. Aumiler, H. Skenderovi?, G. Pichler, Phys. Rev. A 73 (2006) 043407].     

V.L. Ginzburg’s elliptic screw polarization modes in an optical medium with linear birefringence and twist: Determination of their parameters by the method of Jones matrices

The effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) has been experimentally implemented for the first time for the (4S _1/2–4P _1/2–4S _1/2) Λ-system of potassium atom levels in a nanocell with a 770-nm-thick column of atomic vapor. It is shown that, at such a small thickness of the vapor column, the EIT resonance can be observed only when the coupling-laser frequency is in exact resonance with the frequency of the corresponding atomic transition. The EIT resonance disappears even if the coupling-laser frequency differs slightly (by ~50 MHz) from that of the corresponding atomic transition, which is due to the high thermal velocity of K atoms. The EIT resonance and related velocity selective optical pumping resonances caused by optical pumping (formed by the coupling) can be simultaneously recorded because of the small (~462 MHz) hyperfine splitting of the lower 4S _1/2 level.     

Absorption-Dispersion Properties in a Four-Level Atomic System with Vacuum-Induced Coherence

We discuss and analyze absorption-dispersion response for the probe field in a typical four-level atomic system with vacuum-induced coherence (VIC) arising from the cross coupling pathways associated with a pair of upper excited hyperfine levels. We find that VIC effect can preserve electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) by using the detailed numerical simulations based on the density-matrix equations and analytical calculations in the dressed-state picture. We also show that the atomic hyperfine structure cannot be a hindrance to obtaining EIT.     

Fluorescence from doubly driven four-level atoms

The unusually narrow features in the fluorescence from ⁸⁵Rb driven by two laser fields L1 and L2, reported in [1], are explained on the basis of a four-level density matrix calculation. The L2 laser enables atom transfer to the fluorescing levels connected by the strong L1 laser. In turn the L1 laser causes the Autler-Townes splitting of the upper levels connected by L2 laser. These two effects are shown to maximise fluorescence within a narrow spectral range of the scanned L2 laser due to velocity selection of atoms from co-propagating and counter propagating L1 and L2 lasers. The analysis reveals the existence of narrow spectral features from a collection of atoms at room temperature even in the absence of induced coherences between the levels.Received: 2 July 2004, Published online: 21 September 2004PACS: 42.50.Hz Strong-field excitation of optical transitions in quantum systems; multiphoton processes; dynamic Stark shift - 32.80.Bx Level crossing and optical pumping     

相干布居数拍频信号与基态超精细子能级相干性关系的研究

相干布居数拍频(coherent population beating, CPB)现象, 产生于一个Λ型三能级原子系统中, 当双色相干激光场的频率差和两基态能级频率间隔近失谐的时候, 原子在激发态能级上的布居数会产生一个弛豫振荡, 且振荡频率等于失谐量. 当将此现象运用于原子标准频率的提取时, CPB频标的稳定度与CPB信号的幅度及信噪比直接相关. 本文理论推导了描述CPB 现象的表达式, 数值模拟并实验研究了⁸⁷Rb基态超精细子能级的相干性对CPB信号的影响, 通过控制与基态子能级共振相干激光场的抽运时间来控制能级的相干程度, 观测不同相干程度对CPB信号质量的影响. 研究结果表明CPB信号振荡的幅度与基态子能级相干程度成正比关系. 要改善CPB信号信噪比、提高原子频标稳定度, 建立、提高和保持基态超精细能级的相干性是关键. 本文还讨论了CPB现象用于弱磁场测量及其他方面应用的可行性.     

Coherent population trapping and strong electromagnetically induced transparency resonances on the D<Subscript>1</Subscript> line of potassium

In this paper we report the first experimental observation of coherent population trapping (CPT) in thermal potassium vapor in a three levels Λ scheme. We demonstrate that K presents the advantage of a reduced modulation frequency with a large resonance contrast (up to 40%), in comparison to similar approaches with other alkalis. We report also the first evidence of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonances in K in the so called Hanle configuration. We tested different kinds of cells, demonstrating strong enhancement of the resonance contrast and amplitude for antirelaxation coated and buffered cells containing K vapor: resonance contrast up to 90% (for coated cells) and 65% (for buffered cells) is achieved with a linewidth of about 13 mG, while under similar conditions, the EIT resonance contrast in Cs vapor buffered by Ar gas is about 1%. Such relevant improvement is due to the reduced optical pumping in K, because of the overlapping of the hyperfine levels Doppler profiles, which does not occur in the case of Rb and Cs vapor. For this reason, K can be considered very promising for further CPT and EIT applications, especially for those where optical pumping losses represent a major limiting factor, such as light slowing and magnetometry.     

Optical pumping with laser-induced-fluorescence

We describe a new procedure for optical pumping that is based on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The procedure is demonstrated by optically exciting a sample of Rb⁸⁵ atoms, which then creates a population imbalance between the ground state hyperfine levels of Rb⁸⁷ by “LIF depopulation pumping”. Though optical pumping with this technique increases the intensity dependent light-shift coefficient (i.e., ac Stark shift) of the Rb⁸⁷ 0-0 hyperfine transition, it reduces the frequency dependent light-shift coefficient by at least an order of magnitude. Since the stabilization of the diode laser wavelength is a significant challenge in the development of laser-pumped gas-cell atomic clocks, it is anticipated that optical pumping with LIF will be of benefit to atomic clock technology.     

Absorption-Dispersion Properties in a Four-Level Atomic System with Vacuum-Induced Coherence

We discuss and analyze absorption-dispersion response for the probe field in a typical four-level atomic system with vacuum-induced coherence (VIC) arising from the cross coupling pathways associated with a pair of upper excited hyperfine levels. We find that VIC effect can preserve electromagnetically induced transparency (FIT) by using the detailed numerical simulations based on the density-matrix equations and analytical calculations in the dressed-state picture. We also show that the atomic hyperfine structure cannot be a hindrance to obtaining EIT.     

基于超精细结构下的激光光泵铯磁力仪的理论研究

激光光泵碱金属磁力仪具有很高的灵敏度,测量范围可以从地球磁场到生物磁场。给出了铯（Cs）光泵磁力仪的理论分析和系统设计以及磁场梯度测量原理,铯原子能级在I—J耦合时形成超精细结构,在外磁场的作用下超精细结构进一步产生塞曼分裂形成塞曼子能级,利用激光泵浦和射频磁场能够使电子在超精细结构中进行能级跃迁,产生光磁双共振的结果,最终通过共振频率就能够达到精确测量外磁场的目的。     

基于Rb原子电磁诱导透明的量子干涉实验研究

报道了基于85RbD2线电磁诱导透明(EIT)的量子干涉现象,发现当一耦合光和探测光之间满足拉曼共振条件时出现电磁诱导透明现象,在某些条件下也观察到电磁诱导吸收(EIA).而当用一束耦合光和一束泵浦光共同作用于5S1/2,F=3→5P3/2,F′=3和5S1/2,F=3→5P3/2,F′=4能级上时,探测光的吸收谱表现出三峰结构,并且峰强弱与两耦合光之间的相对强度有关.     

Frequency stabilization of a diode laser using electromagnetically induced transparency in a V-configuration cesium atom

An electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) signal is observed in a V-type energy level scheme in a cesium vapor cell at room temperature. The effects of frequency detuning and the intensity of the pump laser on the EIT signal have been investigated. The performance of the probe-diode laser system, which is frequency stabilized on the EIT signal by using electrical feedback, is explored. The first derivative of the EIT signal offers a steeper slope and better S/N ratio for laser frequency stabilization than that of the Doppler-free hyperfine and crossover resonances. A comparative study of the frequency stability of an external-cavity diode laser stabilized at EIT and at the crossover resonance is presented. The square root of the Allan variance (σ) vs. integration time (τ) plot shows about a tenfold improvement in the frequency stability of the EIT-locked laser (σ ～ 2.043 × 10^?13τ^?1/2) over that of the crossover-locked laser under a short integration time (1–10 ms), whereas a twofold improvement is found under a long integration time (～1 s).     

Velocity selective optical pumping and repumping effects with counter and copropagating laser radiations for D<Subscript>2</Subscript> lines of rubidium

The effects of a strong control or pump laser, counter propagating or copropagating with the probe beam, on the probe absorption spectra of ⁸⁵Rb and ⁸⁷Rb-D₂ transitions have been investigated inside a room temperature Rb vapour cell. In both cases a set of strong velocity selective resonance dips are observed at different velocities. Their movements across the Doppler broadened probe absorption profile have been studied for different lock frequencies of the control laser. These spectra are modified by optical pumping effects due to the presence of another hyperfine component of the ground state. A repumping laser, from the dark hyperfine component of the ground level transfers almost 75% of the atoms from the dark state to the pump probe cycle hence reducing the optical pumping effect. A numerical simulation is done to explain the observed spectra. The effect of a control laser on the Lamb dip spectrum of the probe laser has also been investigated. The control beam is used to improve the strength of a weak hyperfine dip on the Doppler broadened probe spectrum. The strength of the hyperfine dip increases by a factor of 3.2 in presence of the control laser. The observed dips show that pump-probe spectroscopy can be used as velocity selectors of atoms.     

利用微波场抑制电磁感应透明的功率展宽

电磁感应透明的重要参量之一是透明窗口的光谱线宽。在Λ-型三能级原子系统中,电磁感应透明的光谱线宽由两低能级间的相干失相速率决定,若两低能级同属于原子基态的精细结构,则电磁感应透明窗口的极限线宽很窄。但较强的耦合场作用往往会导致电磁感应透明窗口的功率展宽,而减弱耦合场又会影响电磁感应透明的对比度和深度。为此,通过引入微波控制场共振作用于基态精细能级间构成三场作用下的准Λ-型四能级系统,利用微波控制场来抑制耦合场所引起的电磁感应透明窗口的功率展宽。结果表明,引入微波控制场不仅得到了双窗口电磁感应透明,而且在保持较好对比度的条件下,使得电磁感应透明的光谱线宽明显小于不加微波场的情况。     

Velocity selective optical pumping of Rb hyperfine lines induced by a train of femtosecond pulses

We present direct observation of the velocity-selective optical pumping of the Rb ground state hyperfine levels induced by 5S(1/2) --> 5P(1/2) femtosecond pulse-train excitation. A modified direct frequency comb spectroscopy based on the fixed frequency comb and a weak cw scanning probe laser was developed. The femtosecond pulse-train excitation of a Doppler-broadened Rb four-level atomic vapor is investigated theoretically in the context of the density matrix formalism and the results are compared with the experiment.     

Optical pumping and modulation techniques with a molecular Ramsey–Bordé interferometer

Using the example of a matter-wave interferometer with K₂ molecules, we present different methods to simplify the observed interference structures within a hyperfine pattern for improving phase measurements of the interference structure. We consider optical pumping for depletion of specific components to simplify the observed spectra. In connection with a lock-in amplifier, amplitude modulation as well as frequency modulation of laser beams in the interferometer are investigated for better detection of the interference pattern. As a follow-up treatment, digital filtering is demonstrated. Received: 22 December 2000 / Revised version: 30 April 2001 / Published online: 18 July 2001     

Spectroscopic and lasing characterisation of a dicarbazovinylene-MEH-benzene dye

The dye 1,4-bis(9-ethyl-3-carbazovinylene)-2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-benzene (abbreviated 2CzV-MEH-B) dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and as neat film is characterised by optical absorption and emission spectroscopy. The absorption and stimulated emission cross-section spectra, the fluorescence quantum distributions, fluorescence quantum yields, degrees of fluorescence polarisation, and fluorescence lifetimes are determined. A lasing characterisation is carried out by pumping with single second harmonic pulses of a mode-locked ruby laser (wavelength 347.15 nm, pulse duration 35 ps). The excited-state absorption at the pump laser wavelength is determined by saturable absorption measurements. Laser oscillation of the dye in THF in a rectangular cell is achieved by transverse pumping using the uncoated cell windows for light feedback. From the emission behaviour around threshold the excited-state absorption cross-section spectrum in the laser active spectral region is extracted. The wave-guided travelling-wave lasing behaviour of the dye as neat film is studied by analysis of the amplification of the transverse pumped spontaneous emission. Surface emitting distributed-feedback lasing was achieved with a neat film on corrugated second-order periodic gratings.     

Measurement of a heavy-hole hyperfine interaction in InGaAs quantum dots using resonance fluorescence

We measure the strength and the sign of hyperfine interaction of a heavy hole with nuclear spins in single self-assembled quantum dots. Our experiments utilize the locking of a quantum dot resonance to an incident laser frequency to generate nuclear spin polarization. By monitoring the resulting Overhauser shift of optical transitions that are split either by electron or exciton Zeeman energy with respect to the locked transition using resonance fluorescence, we find that the ratio of the heavy-hole and electron hyperfine interactions is -0.09 ± 0.02 in three quantum dots. Since hyperfine interactions constitute the principal decoherence source for spin qubits, we expect our results to be important for efforts aimed at using heavy-hole spins in quantum information processing.     

射频驱动下电磁诱导透明窗口的分裂和增益的出现

在Λ型三能级系统的基础上引入两个共振射频场, 通过详细讨论系统的探测吸收特性随两个射频场Rabi频率取不同值时的变化规律, 得出电磁诱导透明(EIT)的分裂规律以及EIT上出现增益现象的产生条件.研究结果表明: 两个射频场对系统所起的控制作用不同, 控制基态精细结构能级之间跃迁的射频场对EIT的分裂起作用, 而控制激发态精细结构能级之间跃迁的射频场不会导致EIT的分裂; 而且, 只有当控制基态精细结构能级之间跃迁的射频场的Rabi频率大于控制激发态精细结构能级之间跃迁的射频场的Rabi频率时, 才能产生EIT与增益相叠加的新特性. 关键词： 射频场 电磁诱导透明 增益 精细结构能级