Electro-optic quantum memory for light using two-level atoms

We present a simple quantum memory scheme that allows for the storage of a light field in an ensemble of two-level atoms. The technique is analogous to the NMR gradient echo for which the imprinting and recalling of the input field are performed by controlling a linearly varying broadening. Our protocol is perfectly efficient in the limit of high optical depths and the output pulse is emitted in the forward direction. We provide a numerical analysis of the protocol together with an experiment performed in a solid state system. In close agreement with our model, the experiment shows a total efficiency of up to 15%, and a recall efficiency of 26%. We suggest simple realizable improvements for the experiment to surpass the no-cloning limit.     

Quantised phase filters with binary low and high pass amplitude response: the effect of quantisation for scale and rotation input distortions

In the field of optical pattern recognition, there are a large number of filters that possess identification capabilities for certain kinds of input distortions. The resolution of the spectral components plays an important role in the overall processing time of a correlator that may employ such filters. In this paper, two different techniques are discussed: low pass phase filtering and high pass phase filtering. This is achieved by binarizing the amplitude information which then allows certain frequencies to pass and others to be blocked. Their response to different kinds of input distortions is presented and the effect of phase quantisation is considered in detail.     

Modification of medium phase memory under influence of pulsed inhomogeneous magnetic field

We consider retrieving of a light pulse stored in a medium of atoms with Λ-configuration of levels under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency when a pulse of the external magnetic field inhomogeneous over the medium length is applied to the medium during the absence of the control field. It is shown that the coherence of lower levels of medium atoms acquires a phase depending on the coordinate along the medium and that the temporal shape of the retrieved pulse, if it is recorded interferometrically, reflects the coordinate dependence of the magnetic field.     

Controlling the carrier-envelope phase of ultrashort light pulses with optical parametric amplifiers

The phase link between signal, idler, and pump waves in a parametric interaction allows generation of an idler pulse with a phase independent of that of the input pulse. We suggest the use of a white-light seeded optical parametric amplifier as a self-stabilized source of few-cycle pulses, in which the phase of the electric field is exactly reproduced in each laser shot.     

Dynamic control of photonic bandgap mediated by vacuum-induced coherence

We theoretically examine the storage and retrieval of a light pulse in a medium comprised of four-level atoms of the V − Λ-type. The two intermediate levels are probed by a weak field and vacuum-induced coherence effects lead the system to transparency. The temporal variation of the intermediate levels' splitting is used as an external parameter which allows the transfer of the impinging field to a combination of spin coherences. An auxiliary and far-detuned control field in a standing-wave configuration is used to induce a variable photonic bandgap by cross-phase modulation. It is shown that dynamic control of such a bandgap can be used to coherently manipulate the previously stored probe pulse. We use a general scheme to take into account multiwave mixing effects and solve the combined Maxwell-Bloch equations for the relevant coherences. It is shown that the system acts as an all-optical router.     

Where is the energy of slow light stored?

We analyze the energy storage process of light propagating with slow group velocity in a sample where electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is created by a strong coupling field. We compare the formation of slow light in EIT and in self-induced transparency (SIT). For SIT, soliton-like propagation of light with essentially reduced group velocity takes place because of the temporary storage of an appreciable part of the pulse energy in the atoms. For EIT, no energy of the probe is stored in the atoms. This energy is transformed to the coupling field and leaves the sample with phase velocity c without absorption. Slow light is formed by a low frequency coherence induced at the input by the probe and coupling fields in a two-quantum excitation process. This coherence propagates as a “spin wave” with small group velocity, and at a large distance from the input, the coherence rules the process of the energy transformation from the coupling field to the probe, reproducing exactly the temporal profile of the probe at the input.     

Reaching the resolved tunnel regime for a femtosecond oscillator driven field emission electron source

We report on electron emission from tungsten tips with the help of 800 nm-8 fs laser pulses from a Ti:sapphire laser oscillator. We have measured autocorrelation traces of the exciting laser pulse in the photoelectron current, which allows a measurement of the non-linearity as a function of DC voltage applied to the tip. These data are well described by a numerical integration of the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation. The simulation shows us that electron emission resolves the electric field structure of the driving laser pulse, a regime which is currently an extremely fruitful area of research with atoms in the gas phase. For an 8 fs laser pulse with the correct carrier-envelope phase setting the emission duration is as short as 800 nm.     

Auxiliary phase encoding in multi spin-echo sequences: application to rapid current density imaging

Multi spin-echo sequences such as single-shot RARE are very sensitive to the initial phase of the transverse magnetization, and they can preserve only the transverse magnetization component which is aligned with the axis of the refocusing pulse rotation. Therefore, two separate single-shot RARE experiments with phases of refocusing pulses 90 degrees apart have to be run and their complex images summed to obtain an error-free phase map of the initial transverse magnetization. This is particularly useful when auxiliary phase encoding is integrated in the preparation period of the RARE sequence, such as when encoding flow, displacement, susceptibility, pH or temperature. In this paper, the two-shot RARE approach is verified first theoretically and then experimentally by demonstrating its application to rapid current density imaging (CDI). The sequence consists of the preparation period which triggers electric pulses in the sample followed by the RARE acquisition period. Electric currents through the sample induce a magnetic field change in the direction of the static magnetic field and a phase change of the initial magnetization proportional to it. To calculate one component of current density two orthogonal components of magnetic field change must be measured. In general, for 2D non-symmetrical samples, this can be done by rotating the sample to a perpendicular orientation. The proposed CDI method allows much for faster magnetic field change mapping than the standard spin-echo based CDI.     

Roles of Atomic Injection Rate and External Magnetic Field on Optical Properties of Elliptical Polarized Probe Light

In this paper we investigate the optical properties of an open four-level tripod atomic system driven by an elliptically polarized probe field in the presence of the external magnetic field and compare its properties with the corresponding closed system.Our result reveals that absorption,dispersion and group velocity of probe field can be manipulated by adjusting the phase difference between the two circularly polarized components of a single coherent field,magnetic field and cavity parameters i.e.the atomic exit rate from cavity and atomic injection rates.We show that the system can exhibit multiple electromagnetically induced transparency windows in the presence of the external magnetic field.The numerical result shows that the probe field in the open system can be amplified by appropriate choice of cavity parameters,while in the closed system with introduce appropriate phase difference between fields the probe field can be enhanced.Also it is shown that the group velocity of light pulse can be controlled by external magnetic field,relative phase of applied fields and cavity parameters.By changing the parameters the group velocity of light pulse changes from subluminal to superluminal light propagation and vice versa.     

Semiclassical Calculations of Autoionization Rate for Lithium Atoms in Parallel Electric and Magnetic Fields

By using a semiclassical method, we present theoretical computations of the ionization rate of Rydberg lithium atoms in parallel electric and magnetic fields with different scaled energies above the classical saddle point. The yielded irregular pulse trains of the escape electrons are recorded as a function of emission time, which allows for relating themselves to the terms of the recurrence periods of the photoabsorption. This fact turns to illustrate the dynamic mechanism how the electron pulses are stochastically generated. Comparing our computations with previous investigation results, we can deduce that the complicated chaos under consideration here consists of two kinds of seff-similar fractal structures which correspond to the contributions of the applied magnetic feld and the core scattering events. Furthermore, the effect of the magnetic field plays a major role in the profile of the autoionization rate curves, while the contribution of the core scattering is critical for specifying the positions of the pulse peaks.     

Proposal for loadable and erasable optical memory unit based on dual active microring optical integrators

A novel approach for loadable and erasable optical memory unit based on dual microring optical integrators is proposed and studied. The optical integrator, which can generate an optical step function for data storing, is synthesized using active media for loss compensation and a tunable phase shifter for data reading at any time. The input data into the memory is return-to-zero (RZ) signal, and the output data read from the memory is also RZ format with a narrower pulse width. An optical digital register based on the proposed optical memory unit is also investigated and simulated, which shows the potential for large scale data storage and serial-to-parallel data conversion. A great number of such memory units can be densely integrated on a photonic circuit for future large scale data storage and buffer.     

Comparison of two absorption imaging methods to detect cold atoms in magnetic trap

Two methods of absorption imaging to detect cold atoms in a magnetic trap are implemented for a high-precision cold atom interferometer.In the first method,a probe laser which is in resonance with a cycle transition frequency is used to evaluate the quantity and distribution of the atom sample.In the second method,the probe laser is tuned to an open transition frequency,which stimulates a few and constant number of photons per atom.This method has a shorter interaction time and results in absorption images which are not affected by the magnetic field and the light field.We make a comparison of performance between these two imaging methods in the sense of parameters such as pulse duration,light intensity,and magnetic field strength.The experimental results show that the second method is more reliable when detecting the quantity and density profiles of the atoms.These results fit well to the theoretical analysis.     

Optical switching by controlling the double-dark resonances in a N-tripod five-level atom

We have investigated the optical switching in a five-level atom in a novel configuration of electromagnetically induced transparency. This N-tripod type level scheme combines the attractive features of cross-phase modulation appearing in N-type atoms with the ability to slow light pulses associated with tripod atoms. The addition of a new driving field to the usual tripod configuration allows to control the double-dark resonances which appear in the four-level tripod system and thus enables to manipulate the probe absorption and dispersion properties. We have studied the temporal dynamics of two pulses, a probe pulse and a switch propagating pulse through the sample. In the presence of the switching field, a deep in the absorption at resonance due to one-photon electromagnetically induced transparency appears and the atomic system is transparent to the probe field, which propagates at a very small group velocity. By tuning the fields, one of the usual double-dark resonances appearing in tripod system can be controlled (Stark-shifted) and the medium, which is transparent in the absence of the control field, will become highly absorptive. The linear and cross-phase modulation susceptibilities have been calculated and we predict the possibility to realize two-photon switching and giant cross-phase modulation. Finally we address the question about the generation of an entangled coherent state and we show that the giant cross-phase modulation provided by this N-tripod atomic system can be used for realizing polarization quantum phase gates.     

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.     

Effects of the Copper and Oxygen atoms of the CuO-plane on magnetic properties of the YBCO by using the effective-field theory

We investigate the effects the Copper and Oxigen atoms of the CuO-plane on magnetic properties in the YBCO within the frame work of the Ising model by using the effective field theory. In particular, we study the thermal behaviors of magnetizations of CuO-plane, YBCO and their components with taking the antiferromagnetic spin orientations. We find that the system undergoes a second-order phase transition and only the magnetization of CuO-plane illustrates the N-type compensation behavior. We also investigate the hysteresis loops behavior of CuO-plane, YBCO and their components and present the superconducting phase diagram. The phase diagram contains two different Meissner and four different vortex and a normal states.     

Simple algorithm for the correction of MRI image artefacts due to random phase fluctuations

PurposeFast Field-Cycling (FFC) MRI is a novel technology that allows varying the main magnetic field B₀ during the pulse sequence, from the nominal field (usually hundreds of millitesla) down to Earth's field or below. This technique uses resistive magnets powered by fast amplifiers. One of the challenges with this method is to stabilise the magnetic field during the acquisition of the NMR signal. Indeed, a typical consequence of field instability is small, random phase variations between each line of k-space resulting in artefacts, similar to those which occur due to homogeneous motion but harder to correct as no assumption can be made about the phase error, which appears completely random. Here we propose an algorithm that can correct for the random phase variations induced by field instabilities without prior knowledge about the phase error.MethodsThe algorithm exploits the fact that ghosts caused by field instability manifest in image regions which should be signal free. The algorithm minimises the signal in the background by finding an optimum phase correction for each line of k-space and repeats the operation until the result converges, leaving the background free of signal.ConclusionWe showed the conditions for which the algorithm is robust and successfully applied it on images acquired on FFC-MRI scanners. The same algorithm can be used for various applications other than Fast Field-Cycling MRI.     

Magnetic field generated in a plasma by a short, circularly polarized laser pulse

We study the generation of a quasistatic magnetic field by a short, circularly polarized laser pulse in a tenuous cold uniform plasma. It is shown that two physical mechanisms are responsible for the generation of the various components of the magnetic field. One mechanism is due to the ponderomotive forces and governs the generation of the azimuthal component of the magnetic field. The other is similar to the inverse Faraday effect (IFE) in a nonuniform plasma and gives rise to axial and radial components of the magnetic field. At moderate radiative intensities, all magnetic field components are proportional to the squared intensity. The spatial structure of the magnetic field depends strongly on the pulse shape and the plasma density. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 849–863 (September 1998)     

Loss of phase of collapsing beams

We experimentally investigate the phase of an optical field after it has undergone wave collapse. We confirm the theoretical prediction that it acquires a large cumulative nonlinear phase shift that is highly sensitive to small fluctuations of the laser input power. This results in an effective postcollapse "loss of phase," whereby the phase of the transmitted beam shows a significant increase in sensitivity to the input fluctuations of the pulse energy. We also investigate interactions between two beams that each undergoes collapse and observe large fluctuations in the output mode profiles, which are due to the postcollapse loss of their relative phase difference. Such effects should occur in all systems that exhibit wave collapse.