Control of Group Velocity via Spontaneous Generated Coherence and Kerr Nonlinearity

A four-level N-type atomic medium is considered to study the effect of spontaneous generated coherence(SGC) and Kerr nonlinearity on light pulse propagation. A light pulse is propagating inside the medium where each atom follows four-level N-type atom-field configuration of rubidium(85Rb) atom. The atom-field interaction leads to electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT) process. The atom-field interaction is accompanied by normal dispersion and in the presence of SGC and Kerr nonlinearity the dispersion property of the proposed atomic medium is modified,which leads to enhancement of positive group index of the medium. The enhancement of positive group index then leads to slow group velocity inside the medium. A more slow group velocity is also investigated by incorporated the collective effect of SGC and Kerr nonlinearity. The control of group velocity inside a four-level N-type atomic medium via collective effect of SGC and Kerr nonlinearity is the major part of this work.     

双光子失谐对慢光和光存储影响的实验研究

利用电磁感应透明(EIT)效应在87Rb热原子气室中进行了慢光和光存储的实验研究,在单光子红失谐650 MHz处测量了双光子失谐对光脉冲延迟和光存储的影响.结果表明:在双光子失谐0—0.5 MHz范围内存在显著的光脉冲延迟和光存储恢复信号,其慢光波形与理论计算结果基本相符;而恢复光脉冲信号随着双光子失谐的变化出现形变,这是由于多个EIT子系统之间的干涉引起的.这一研究结果为连续变量光场在热原子系综中的存储提供了实验参考.     

Quantum storage of single photons with unknown arrival time and pulse shapes

We present a scheme for the quantum storage of single photons using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a low-finesse optical cavity, assisted by state-selected spontaneous atomic emission. Mediated by the dark mode of cavity EIT, the destructive quantum interference between the cavity input-output channel and state-selected atomic spontaneous emission leads to strong absorption of single photons with unknown arrival time and pulse shapes. We discuss the application of this phenomenon to photon counting using stored light.     

Phase-controlled gain-assisted slow light propagation in three-coupled quantum wells

The low-intensity light pulse propagation through three-coupled semiconductor quantum wells is studied with the Schrödinger equations. Phase-controlled slow light propagation with little gain is observed in this system. For its flexible design and its wide adjustable parameters, such a semiconductor system is better than its atomic counterpart. Such investigation of properties may provide a new way for realizing slow light and lead to important applications in high-fidelity optical delay lines and optical buffers.     

Control of Group Velocity via Spontaneous Generated Coherence and Kerr Nonlinearity

A four-level N-type atomic medium is considered to study the effect of spontaneous generated coherence (SGC) and Kerr nonlinearity on light pulse propagation. A light pulse is propagating inside the medium where each atom follows four-level N-type atom-field configuration of rubidium (⁸⁵Rb) atom. The atom-field interaction leads to electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) process. The atom-field interaction is accompanied by normal dispersion and in the presence of SGC and Kerr nonlinearity the dispersion property of the proposed atomic medium is modified, which leads to enhancement of positive group index of the medium. The enhancement of positive group index then leads to slow group velocity inside the medium. A more slow group velocity is also investigated by incorporated the collective effect of SGC and Kerr nonlinearity. The control of group velocity inside a four-level N-type atomic medium via collective effect of SGC and Kerr nonlinearity is the major part of this work.     

Slow light with integrated gain and large pulse delay

We demonstrate slow and stored light in Rb vapor with a combination of desirable features: minimal loss and distortion of the pulse shape, and large fractional delay (>10). This behavior is enabled by (i) a group index that can be controllably varied during light pulse propagation, and (ii) controllable gain integrated into the medium to compensate for pulse loss. Any medium with the above two characteristics should be able to realize similarly high-performance slow light.     

Ultraslow optical solitons in a four-level tripod atomic system

We investigate possible formation and propagation of localized, shape-preserving nonlinear optical pulse in a resonant, lifetime-broadened four-level tripod atomic system via electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). We prove both analytically and numerically that although in anomalous dispersion regimes near resonance a superluminal optical soliton may appear, such soliton suffers serious absorption. However, by choosing appropriate parameters to make the system work in normal dispersion regimes and within an EIT transparency window, ultraslow optical solitons with very low light intensity can form and propagate stably in the system.     

三能级原子系统中单光子频率失谐对光减速的影响

在Λ型三能级Rb原子介质中，观察到了由电磁感应透明（EIT）效应导致的光减速现象并测 量了光延迟对单光子频率失谐量的依赖关系. 结果表明，由于多普勒展宽效应的存在，在单 光子频率失谐±600MHz的范围内，光减速效应较为显著. 在考虑多谱勒频移的情况下，数值 计算了光延迟随单光子频率失谐量的变化曲线，实验结果与理论曲线很好地符合. 这一研 究结果为利用单光子频率失谐控制光的群速度提供了理论与实验参考. 关键词： 光减速 电磁感应透明 多普勒展宽     

Electromagnetically induced transparency‐based slow and stored light in warm atoms

This paper reviews recent efforts to realize a high‐efficiency memory for optical pulses using slow and stored light based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in ensembles of warm atoms in vapor cells. After a brief summary of basic continuous‐wave and dynamic EIT properties, studies using weak classical signal pulses in optically dense coherent media are discussed, including optimization strategies for stored light efficiency and pulse‐shape control, and modification of EIT and slow/stored light spectral properties due to atomic motion. Quantum memory demonstrations using both single photons and pulses of squeezed light are then reviewed. Finally a brief comparison with other approaches is presented.     

Temporal coherent control of superfluorescent pulses

We demonstrate that collective atomic interferences can be investigated by measuring the superfluorescence (SF) time delay. A pair of broadband (≈20 nm), ultrashort (≈80 fs), collinear pulses with a variable delay coherently excites rubidium (Rb) atoms. The generated superfluorescent pulses at 420 nm on the cascade transition are recorded by a picosecond streak camera. Both intensity and SF time delay of the 420 nm pulse are altered as the delay between input pulses varies. In particular, the SF time delay of the normalized 420 nm pulse exhibits oscillations with different periods. This can be understood in terms of atomic and quantum interferences due to two possible two-photon excitation pathways through the intermediate levels (Rb D-lines).     

Slow light propagation via quantum coherence in a semiconductor quantum well

With the Schrödinger equations, we investigate the low-intensity light pulse propagation through a semiconductor quantum wells. Through studying the dispersion and absorption properties of the weak probe field, it is shown that slow light propagation is observed in this system. From the view point of practical purpose, it is more advantageous than its corresponding atomic system. Such investigation of slow light propagation may lead to important practical applications in semiconductor quantum information.     

Single quantum dots for slow and fast light in a planar photonic crystal

We theoretically investigate slow and fast light propagation and pulse velocity control in a nanocavity containing a single quantum dot side-coupled to a planar-photonic-crystal waveguide. We demonstrate that low coupling strength (i.e., the weak coupling regime) between a cavity and a dot, under on-resonance condition, can lead to delays of about +90 ps for a pulse 1/e-width of 280 ps. The group delay dependence on the various coupling parameters suggests achievable delays of +300 ps and consequently very slow light speeds of around 5000 m/s in a 1.5 microm cavity-waveguide section. We also show that under off-resonant condition one can achieve significant pulse advancement of -60 ps.     

Quantum study of information delay in electromagnetically induced transparency

Using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), it is possible to delay and store light in atomic ensembles. Theoretical modeling and recent experiments have suggested that the EIT storage mechanism can be used as a memory for quantum information. We present experiments that quantify the noise performance of an EIT system for conjugate amplitude and phase quadratures. It is shown that our EIT system adds excess noise to the delayed light that has not hitherto been predicted by published theoretical modeling. In analogy with other continuous-variable quantum information systems, the performance of our EIT system is characterized in terms of conditional variance and signal transfer.     

Ultrafast control of slow light in THz electromagnetically induced transparency metasurfaces

In this paper,we experimentally demonstrate ultrafast optical control of slow light in the terahertz(THz) range by combining the electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT) metasurfaces with the cut wire made of P~+-implanted silicon with short carrier lifetime.Employing the optical-pump THz-probe spectroscopy,we observed that the device transited from a state with a slow light effect to a state without a slow light effect in an ultrafast time of 5 ps and recovered within 200 ps.A coupled oscillator model is utilized to explain the origin of controllability.The experimental results agree very well with the simulated and theoretical results.These EIT metasurfaces have the potential to be used as an ultrafast THz optical delay device.     

Ultraslow propagation of squeezed vacuum pulses with electromagnetically induced transparency

We have succeeded in observing ultraslow propagation of squeezed vacuum pulses with electromagnetically induced transparency. Squeezed vacuum pulses (probe lights) were incident on a laser-cooled 87Rb gas together with an intense coherent light (control light). A homodyne method sensitive to the vacuum state was employed for detecting the probe pulse passing through the gas. A delay of 3.1 micros was observed for the probe pulse having a temporal width of 10 micros.     

EIT as a tool to observe dual wavelength operation of a semiconductor laser

We propose a simplified technique for dual wavelength operation of an extended cavity semiconductor laser, and its characterization using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). In this laser cavity scheme light beam is made converging before it incidences on the cavity grating. The converging angle of the beam creates two longitudinal oscillating modes of resonating cavity. Frequency separation between the longitudinal modes are measured with the help of beat frequency generation in a photodiode and creating pair of EIT spectra in Rb vapor. The pair of EIT dips that are generated due to dual wavelength of this laser (that is used as control laser) can be used to estimate frequency difference between the generated wavelengths. Width of EIT spectra can be used to estimate linewidth of individual wavelength components.     

基于自发辐射相干实现光学前驱动场

研究一个具有两个靠得足够近激发能级的双Lambda模型, 在矩形脉冲中分离出光学前驱动场. 当耦合场是大失谐时, 该原子系统在自发辐射相干效应的影响下产生一个透明窗口并伴随着陡峭的色散曲线. 因此, 由于透明窗口中的慢光效应可以使光学前驱动场从主脉冲场中分离出来. 另外, 我们通过调控脉冲波形序列研究探测场相位和幅值的累积光学前驱动波. 数值结果表明: 由于累积光前驱动场与脉冲主场的相长干涉大大地提高瞬态脉冲的能量.     

Controlled shift of optical bistability hysteresis curve and storage of optical signals in a four-level atomic system

The dependence of the shift of an optical bistability hysteresis curve on the nonlinear phase shift induced by a controlling light is observed in a four-level atomic system of 87 Rb inside an optical ring cavity. In the process the intensity of the coupling beam keeps constant and the atomic system is operated at near conditions of coherent population trapping due to atomic coherence. The refractive and absorptive chi3 nonlinearities enhanced by atomic coherence provide the physical mechanism of the phenomena. Based on the effects, all-optical flip-flop and storage of optical pulse signals with a low peak power of several tens of microwatts are implemented.     

Nonlinear cascade-configuration multi-wave mixing scheme based on electromagnetically induced transparency

A nonlinear optical cascade-configuration multi-wave mixing (CCMWM) scheme is presented and analysed for the generation of coherent light in a six-level atomic system in the context of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). A detailed semi-classical study of the propagation of the generated mixing and probe fields is demonstrated. We show by numerical simulations that EIT is capable of suppressing linear and nonlinear photon absorption. The analytical dependence of the generated mixing field on the probe field and the respective detuning is also predicted. Such a nonlinear optical process can be used for generating coherent short-wavelength radiation.     

Propagation and modulation of Airy beams through a four-level electromagnetic induced transparency atomic vapor

We study the propagation properties of an Airy beam through a four-level electromagnetic induced transparency (EIT) atomic vapor. The analytical expression for the Airy beam passing through the ABCD optical system of the EIT vapor is deduced and employed to analyze the propagation characteristics of the beam. It is shown that both the deflection position and the intensity of the Airy beam can be modulated by the Rabi frequency of the control light. Such a tunable optical behavior may have some potential applications in medicine science.