Ultraslow optical waveguiding in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate

We investigate waveguiding of ultraslow light pulses in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. We show that under the conditions of off-resonant electromagnetically induced transparency, waveguiding with a few ultraslow modes can be realized. The number of modes that can be supported by the condensate can be controlled by means of experimentally accessible parameters. Propagation constants and the mode conditions are determined analytically using a Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin analysis. Mode profiles are found numerically.     

Transfer and storage of vortex states in light and matter waves

We theoretically explore the transfer of vortex states between atomic Bose-Einstein condensates and optical pulses using ultraslow and stopped light techniques. We find shining a coupling laser on a rotating two-component ground state condensate with a vortex lattice generates a probe laser field with optical vortices. We also find that optical vortex states can be robustly stored in the atomic superfluids for times, in Rb-87 condensates, limited only by the ground state coherence time.     

Efficient multiwave mixing in the ultraslow propagation regime and the role of multiphoton quantum destructive interference

We analyze a lifetime-broadened four-state four-wave-mixing (FWM) scheme in the ultraslow propagation regime and show that the generated FWM field can acquire the same group velocity and pulse shape as those of an ultraslow pump field. We show that a new type of induced transparency resulted from multiphoton destructive interference that significantly reduced the pump field loss. Such induced transparency based on multphoton destructive interference may have important applications in other nonlinear optical processes.     

Tunneling-induced ultraslow solitons in triangular quantum dot molecules

We theoretically investigate the propagation of a weak probe laser pulse in a triangular quantum dot molecules scheme based on the tunneling induced transparency. We find that the ultraslow optical solitons can be realized due to the destructive quantum interference induced by the interdot tunneling coupling which can be adjusted by the gate voltage appropriately. This work may provide practical applications such as electro-optic modulated devices and other information processes in semiconductor quantum dots structure.     

Ultraslow Gaussian pulse propagation induced by a dispersive phase coupling in photorefractive bismuth silicon oxide crystals at room temperature

By use of the highly dispersive phase coupling effect in a photorefractive wave mixing process, we have observed ultraslow propagation of a single Gaussian light pulse with a group velocity ∼0.5 m/s in a photorefractive Bi₁₂SiO₂₀ crystal at room temperature. The ultraslow Gaussian pulse is amplified due to an intensity coupling effect but keeping its Gaussian profile with high fidelity. The group velocity of the Gaussian pulse can be controlled to a large extent. This technique is useful for controllable optical delay lines.     

Phase-coupling-induced ultraslow light propagation in solids at room temperature

We show that the group velocities of light pulses can be decelerated dramatically by the use of a dispersive phase-coupling effect through a wave mixing process. We have observed experimentally such a phase-coupling-induced ultraslow light propagation with a group velocity as low as 0.05 m/s in a photorefractive Bi12SiO20 crystal at room temperature. Moreover, the ultraslow light is amplified in the Bi12SiO20 crystal because of the unidirectional energy transfer from a coupling beam to the ultraslow light. This technique to produce ultraslow light propagation is valid for all nonlinear wave mixing processes with a dispersive phase-coupling effect.     

Ultraslow propagation of matched pulses by four-wave mixing in an atomic vapor

We have observed the ultraslow propagation of matched pulses in nondegenerate four-wave mixing in a hot atomic vapor. Probe pulses as short as 70 ns can be delayed by a tunable time of up to 40 ns with little broadening or distortion. During the propagation, a probe pulse is amplified and generates a conjugate pulse which is faster and separates from the probe pulse before getting locked to it at a fixed delay. The precise timing of this process allows us to determine the key coefficients of the susceptibility tensor. The fact that the same configuration has been shown to generate quantum correlations makes this system very promising in the context of quantum information processing.     

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.     

Ultraslow optical solitons in tunnel-coupled double semiconductor quantum well

This paper investigates the nonlinear evolution of the pulse probe field in an asymmetric coupled-quantum well driven coherently by a pulse probe field and two controlled fields. This study shows that, by choosing appropriate physical parameters, self-modulation can precisely balance group velocity dispersion in the investigated system, leading to the formation of ultraslow optical solitons of the probe field. The proposed scheme may lead to the development of the controlled technique of optical buffers and optical delay lines.     

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.     

Tunneling-induced ultraslow bright and dark solitons in quantum wells

We show the formation of tunneling-induced ultraslow bright and dark solitons in an asymmetric double-quantumwell structure based on the tunneling induced transparency.In this semiconductor structure,the pump field is replaced by the electron-tunneling coupling,which can be modulated by a static electric field.With appropriate conditions,we demonstrate by modulating the intensity of the static electric field that the interplay between the group velocity dispersion and the self-Kerr nonlinearity results in the generation of dark and bright solitons with ultraslow group velocity.     

On some peculiarities of propagation of weak electromagnetic pulses in Bose-Einstein condensates of alkali-metal atoms

We study theoretically the linear response of a gas in the state with Bose-Einstein condensate to the perturbation by an external electromagnetic field (weak laser pulse). The Green’s functions formalism is used to study the dispersion characteristics of a system at finite temperatures. It is shown that the group velocity of the near-resonant pulses in condensate in some cases can strongly depend on the temperature. Basing on the account of the Zeeman splitting of the magnetic states we study also a possibility to filter light pulses by the condensate with several occupied quantum states.     

Amplification of light and atoms in a bose-einstein condensate

A Bose-Einstein condensate illuminated by a single off-resonant laser beam ("dressed condensate") shows a high gain for matter waves and light. We have characterized the optical and atom-optical properties of the dressed condensate by injecting light or atoms, illuminating the key role of long-lived matter wave gratings produced by the condensate at rest and recoiling atoms. The narrow bandwidth for optical gain gave rise to an extremely slow group velocity of an amplified light pulse ( approximately 1 m/s).     

Enhancing capacity of coherent optical information storage and transfer in a Bose-Einstein condensate

The coherent optical information storage capacity of an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate is examined. The theory of slow light propagation in atomic clouds is generalized to the short-pulse regime by taking into account group velocity dispersion. It is shown that the number of stored pulses in the condensate can be optimized for a particular coupling laser power, temperature, and interatomic interaction strength. Analytical results are derived for a semi-ideal model of the condensate using the effective uniform density zone approximation. Detailed numerical simulations are also performed. It is found that the axial density profile of the condensate protects the pulse against group velocity dispersion. Furthermore, taking into account the finite radial size of the condensate, multimode light propagation in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate is investigated. The number of modes that can be supported by a condensate is found. The single-mode condition is determined as a function of experimentally accessible parameters including trap size, temperature, condensate number density, and scattering length. Quantum coherent atom-light interaction schemes are proposed for enhancing multimode light propagation effects.     

Damping and frequency shift in the oscillations of two colliding Bose-Einstein condensates

We have investigated the center-of-mass oscillations of a ⁸⁷Rb Bose-Einstein condensate in an elongated magneto-static trap. We start from a trapped condensate and we transfer part of the atoms to another trapped level, by applying a radio-frequency pulse. The new condensate is produced far from its equilibrium position in the magnetic potential, and periodically collides with the parent condensate. We discuss how both the damping and the frequency shift of the oscillations are affected by the mutual interaction between the two condensates, in a wide range of trapping frequencies. The experimental data are compared with the prediction of a mean-field model. Received 28 May 2001     

基于高斯型脉冲的非线性Ramsey干涉

基于非线性Rosen-Zener隧穿理论, 利用高斯型脉冲研究了双势阱玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体的非线性Ramsey干涉. 通过数值模拟得到了丰富的非线性Ramsey干涉图样, 分别讨论了粒子间相互作用和高斯型脉冲的周期对干涉图样的影响. 通过哈密顿正则关系得到了干涉条纹的基频表达式, 并借助傅里叶变换对Ramsey干涉条纹的频率进行分析, 得到了干涉条纹的基频随粒子间相互作用及脉冲周期的变化关系. 比较数值和解析结果发现两者符合得很好. 关键词： 玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚 Ramsey干涉 高斯型脉冲     

Magneto-optical trap of metastable helium-3 atoms

A technique for vortex creation in trapped Bose–Einstein condensates is suggested: vortices can be excited at the edge of a condensate and guided to the center by a laser beam moving along a spiral trajectory. Numerical simulations demonstrate the suggested technique. Parameter ranges for the method are given. Computer animations illustrate the dynamics of the guided vortices. Received: 3 December 1999 / Revised version: 16 March 1999 / Published online: 6 September 2000     

Bragg spectroscopy of discrete axial quasiparticle modes in a cigar-shaped degenerate Bose gas

We propose an experiment in which long wavelength discrete axial quasiparticle modes can be imprinted in a 3D cigar-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate by using two-photon Bragg scattering experiments, similar to the experiment at the Weizmann Institute [J. Steinhauer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 060404 (2003)] where short wavelength axial phonons with different number of radial modes have been observed. We provide values of the momentum, energy and time duration of the two-photon Bragg pulse and also the two-body interaction strength which are needed in the Bragg scattering experiments in order to observe the long wavelength discrete axial modes. These discrete axial modes can be observed when the system is dilute and the time duration of the Bragg pulse is long enough.     

Atomic recoil effects in slow light propagation

We theoretically investigate the effect of atomic recoil on the propagation of ultraslow light pulses through a coherently driven Bose-Einstein condensed gas. For a sample at rest, the group velocity of the light pulse is the sum of the group velocity that one would observe in the absence of mechanical effects (infinite mass limit) and the velocity of the recoiling atoms (light-dragging effect). We predict that atomic recoil may give rise to a lower bound for the observable group velocities, as well as to pulse propagation at negative group velocities without appreciable absorption.