Observation of four-wave mixing in caesium atoms using a noncycling transition

In this paper the generation of four-wave mixing (FWM) signal using a noncycling transition of caesium atoms is investigated when the pumping laser is locked to the transition $6{\rm S}_{1/2}F=4\to6{\rm P}_{3/2}F'=4$, and meanwhile the probe frequency is scanned across the $6{\rm S}_{1/2}F=4 \to6{\rm P}_{3/2}$ transition. The efficiency of the four-wave mixing signal as a function of the intensity of the pumping beams and the detuning of the pumping beams is also studied. In order to increase the detection efficiency, a repumping laser which is resonant with $6{\rm S}_{1/2} F=3\to 6{\rm P}_{3/2}F'=4$ transition is used. A theoretical model is also introduced, and the theoretical results are in qualitative agreement with experimental ones.     

Measurement of intensity difference squeezing via non-degenerate four-wave mixing process in an atomic vapor

We report the measurement of the intensity difference squeezing via the non-degenerate four-wave mixing process in a rubidium atomic vapor medium. Two pairs of balanced detection systems are employed to measure the probe and the conjugate beams, respectively. It is convenient to get the quantum shot noise limit, the squeezed and the amplified noise power spectra. We also investigate the influence of the input extra quadrature amplitude noise of the probe beam. The influence of the extra noise can be minimized and the squeezing can be optimized under the proper parameter condition. We measure the -3.7-dB intensity difference squeezing when the probe beam has a 3-dB extra quadrature amplitude noise. This result is slightly smaller than -4.1 dB when the ideal coherent light （no extra noise） for the probe beam is used.     

Effect of four-wave mixing in WDM optical fibre systems

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) can both significantly enhance transmission capacity and provide more flexibility in optical network design. Through the use of erbium-doped fibre amplifiers (EDFAs), it is possible to build long-distance transparent optical transmission links without electrical regenerators. In such systems, fibre nonlinearities are likely to impose a transmission limit due to increased total interaction length. There are a number of optical nonlinear effects in optical fibres, such as stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), carrier-induced phase modulation and four-wave mixing (FWM). Out of these SRS and FWM are the dominant effects. In this paper, an algorithm has been suggested to study the effect of FWM in the total system noise considering the combined effect of SRS and FWM in the presence of amplified spontaneous noise (ASE). It has been found from the study that to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the transmitted signal in a WDM system FWM noise needs to be reduced as this is the dominant noise factor.     

Fluorescence properties in a single driven four-level atomic system

The spontaneous emission decay dynamics of a tripod configuration four-level atom driven by a single laser field is studied.Under different initial conditions,we discuss the effects of quantum interference and detuning of external driving field on atomic spontaneous emission properties.For the larger detuning,the interesting phenomena of the spectral line narrowing are found which stem from the contribution of external driving field.     

Coherent control of quantum entropy via quantum interference in a four-level N-type atomic system

The time evaluation of quantum entropy in a four-level N-type atomic system is theoretically investigated. Quantum entanglement of the atom and its spontaneous emission fields is then discussed via quantum entropy. It is found that the degree of entanglement can be increased by the quantum interference induced by spontaneous emission. The phase dependence of the atom-field entanglement is also presented.     

Influence of atomic motion on the population and dipole squeezing of a cascade three-level atom in cavity field

The dynamical property of a cascade three-level atom is investigated in the condition of atomic motion. The influence of atomic motion on the population and dipole squeezing is discussed. The results show that atomic motion makes the amplitude of atomic population be steady and increasing the parameter εp which denotes the atomic motion and the structure of field mode can shorten the period of collapse－revivals. By choosing an appropriate parameter εp, we can obtain a dipole squeezed atom of long standing.     

Measurement of the carrier recovery time in SOA based on four-wave mixing on narrow-band ASE spectrum

Carrier recovery time is a key parameter that determines the performance of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). A measurement method of carrier recovery time in SOA based on a nearly degenerate four-wave mixing of narrow-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectra is presented. The results show the carrier times are 50.2, 44.6, and 23.6 ps when the injected currents are 120, 180, and 240 mA, respectively, which are in agreement with the nominal values of the sample.     

Sub-half-wavelength atom localization via probe absorption spectrum in a four-level atomic system

We present a simple scheme of atom localization in a subwavelength domain via manipulation of probe absorption spectrum in a four-level atomic system. By applying two orthogonal standing-wave fields, the localization peak position and number as well as the conditional position probability can be controlled by the intensities and detunings of optical fields, and the sub-half-wavelength atom localization is also observed. More importantly, there is 100% detecting probability of the atom in the subwavelength domain when the corresponding conditions are satisfied.     

Two-dimensional atom localization via probe absorption in a four-level atomic system

We have investigated the two-dimensional (2D) atom localization via probe absorption in a coherently driven four-level atomic system by means of a radio-frequency field driving a hyperfine transition. It is found that the detecting probability and precision of 2D atom localization can be significantly improved via adjusting the system parameters. As a result, our scheme may be helpful in laser cooling or the atom nano-lithography via atom localization.     

High-precision two-dimensional atom localization via probe absorption in an M-scheme atomic system

In the present paper, we investigate the behavior of two-dimensional atom localization in a five-level M-scheme atomic system driven by two orthogonal standing-wave fields. We find that the precision and resolution of the atom localization depends on the probe field detuning significantly. And because of the effect of the microwave field, an atom can be located at a particular position via adjusting the system parameters.     

Efficient three-wave mixing in a three-level atomic medium with an assisting microwave driven field

The potential for nonlinear conversion between two laser pulses in a three-level V-type medium with assistance of an auxiliary microwave resonant radiation is studied. The results show that microwave driven field can lead to the parametric generation of a new laser pulse with high conversion efficiency when a weak pump laser pulse is applied.     

n型主动拉曼增益原子介质中的光学双稳态

研究了主动拉曼增益原子介质在单向环形腔中的光学双稳态．该系统是一个相干共振的n型四能级原子系统,可在室温下实现,有能级失谐量、原子数密度、抽运场、控制场等较多的可调参数,且有无增益的透明窗口．完全通过解析方法定量给出实现光学双稳态的条件,以及可调参数的取值范围,并进一步给出实现光学多稳态的条件,为实验上实现光学双稳态与多稳态提供了理论依据．     

Effect of atomic initial phase difference on spontaneous emission of an atom embedded in photonic crystal

<正>We investigate the effect of initial phase difference between the two excited states of a V-type three-level atom on its steady state behaviour of spontaneous emission.A modified density of modes is introduced to calculate the spontaneous emission spectra in photonic crystal.Spectra in free space are also shown to compare with that in photonic crystal with different relative positions of the excited levels from upper band-edge frequency.It is found that the initial phase difference plays an important role in the quantum interference property between the two decay channels.For a zero initial phase,destructive property is presented in the spectra.With the increase of initial phase difference,quantum interference between the two decay channels from upper levels to ground level turns to be constructive.Furthermore, we give an interpretation for the property of these spectra.     

Manipulation of Spontaneous Emission via Quantum Interference in an Elliptically Polarized Laser Field

Manipulation of spontaneous emission from an atom confined in three kinds of modified reservoirs has been investigated by means of an elliptically polarized laser field. Some interesting phenomena such as the multi-peak structure, extreme spectral narrowing, and cancellation of spontaneous emission can be observed by adjusting controllable system parameters. Moreover, these phenomena depend on the constructive or destructive quantum interference between multiple decay channels and which can be changed appreciably by varying the phase difference between the two circularly polarized components of the probe field. These results demonstrate the importance of an elliptically polarized laser field in controlling the spontaneous emission and its potential applications in high-precision spectroscopy.     

Control of spontaneous emission spectra via an external coherent magnetic field in a cycle-configuration atomic medium

We theoretically study the features of the spontaneous emission spectra in a coherently driven cold four-level atomic system with a cyclic configuration. It is shown that a few interesting phenomena such as spectral-line narrowing, spectral-line enhancement, and spectral-line suppression can be realized in our system. Interestingly enough, the spectral-line enhancement and suppression can be controlled just by appropriately modulating the phase, the frequency, and the intensity of an external coherent magnetic field, respectively. This investigation may find applications in high-precision spectroscopy. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Quantum state transfer from light to molecules via coherent two-color photo-association in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate

By using a quantized input light, we theoretically revisit the coherent two-color photo-association process in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. Under the single-mode approximations, we show two interesting regimes of the light transmission and the molecular generation. The quantum state transfer from light to molecules is exhibited, without or with the depletion of trapped atoms.     

Resonant coupling in the van der Waals interaction between an excited alkali atom and a dielectric surface: an experimental study via stepwise selective reflection spectroscopy

We present a detailed experimental study of the evaluation of the van der Waals (vW) atom-surface interaction for high-lying excited states of alkali-metal atoms (Cs and Rb), notably when they couple resonantly with a surface-polariton mode of the neighbouring dielectric surface. This report extends our initial observation [Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 5467 (1999)] of a vW repulsion between Cs(6D_3/2) and a sapphire surface. The experiment is based upon FM selective reflection spectroscopy, on a transition reaching a high-lying state from a resonance level, that has been thermally pumped by an initial one-photon step. Along with a strong vW repulsion fitted with a blue lineshift, -160±25 kHz μm³ for Cs(6D_3/2) in front of a sapphire surface (with a perpendicular c-axis), we demonstrate a weaker vW repulsion (-32±5 kHz μm³) for Cs(6D_3/2) in front of a YAG surface, as due to a similar resonant coupling at 12 μm between a virtual atomic emission (6D_3/2-7P_1/2) and the surface polariton modes. A resonant behaviour of Rb(6D_5/2) in front of a sapphire surface exists also because of analogous decay channels in the 12 μm range. Finally, one demonstrates that fused silica, nonresonant for a virtual transition in the 12 μm range and hence weakly attracting for Cs(6D_3/2), exhibits a resonant behaviour for Cs(9S_1/2) as due to its surface polariton resonance in the 8-9 μm range. The limiting factors that affect both the accuracy of the theoretical prediction, and that of the fitting method applied to the experimental data, are discussed in the conclusion. Received 16 January 2003 / Received in final form 25 March 2003 Published online 5 May 2003