Manipulating light flow with one-dimensional photonic crystals of an electromagnetically induced transparency medium

The band structures and equifrequency contours of one-dimensional photonic crystals (PCs), which consist of an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) medium and a common dielectric medium, can be dramatically changed by tuning the coupling field intensity (or coupling Rabi frequency, CRF) of the EIT medium. It is found that for a probe light at a fixed frequency, either positive or negative refraction in the EIT PC can be realized with a proper CRF. The behavior of a Gaussian beam (probe light) obliquely incident on such an EIT PC slab is simulated numerically. The probe light beam transmitted from the slab can be shifted transversely in a large range, and negative refraction enhances this effect. The present scenario can be applied in some areas such as quantum optical and photonic device designs.     

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.     

Electromagnetically induced transparency in a Zeeman-sublevels Λ-system of cold ~(87)Rb atoms in free space

We report the experimental investigation of electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT) in a Zeeman-sublevelsΛ-type system of cold ~(87)Rb atoms in free space. We use the Zeeman substates of the hyperfine energy states 5~2S_(1/2), F = 2 and 5~2P_(3/2), F = 2 of ~(87)Rb D_2 line to form a Λ-type EIT scheme. The EIT signal is obtained by scanning the probe light over 1 MHz in 4 ms with an 80 MHz arbitrary waveform generator. More than 97% transparency and 100 k Hz EIT window are observed. This EIT scheme is suited for an application of pulsed coherent storage atom clock(Yan B, et al. 2009 Phys.Rev. A 79 063820).     

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.     

Electromagnetically induced transparency in five-level cascade scheme of Rb atoms: An analytical approach

Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in the five-level cascade scheme of ⁸⁵Rb atoms is investigated by analytical method. In the weak field limit of the probe light, the linear susceptibility, absorption, and dispersion coefficients have been derived in analytical forms. Unusual EIT signatures of the system are studied in details.     

Electromagnetically induced transparency in the medium of four-level atoms with upper level doublet

Light absorption and slowing down when traveling in a medium of four-level atoms with a doublet of close-lying upper levels is studied in conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). It is shown that the presence of the second upper level leads to an increase in the absorption of the probe pulse. However, a control-pulse-detuning range exists between the doublet levels where light decelerates considerably more than in the case of ideal EIT.     

Spatial weak-light solitons in an electromagnetically induced nonlinear waveguide

We show that a weak probe light beam can form spatial solitons in an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) medium composed of four-level atoms and a coupling light field. We find that the coupling light beam can induce a highly controllable nonlinear waveguide and exert very strong effects on the dynamical behavior of the solitons. Hence, in the EIT medium, it is not only possible to produce spatial solitons at very low light intensities but also simultaneously control these solitons by using the coupling-light-induced nonlinear waveguide.     

Theoretical Investigation of Light Transmission in a Slab Cavity via Kerr Nonlinearity of Carbon Nanotube Quantum Dot Nanostructure

In this paper, we discuss the transmission properties of weak probe laser field propagate through slab cavity with defect layer of carbon-nanotube quantum dot (CNT-QD) nanostructure. We show that due to spin-orbit coupling, the double electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) windows appear and the giant Kerr nonlinearity of the intracavity medium can lead to manipulating of transmission coefficient of weak probe light. The thickness effect of defect layer medium has also been analyzed on transmission properties of probe laser field. Our proposed model may be useful for integrated photonics devices based on CNT-QD for applications in all-optical systems which require multiple EIT effect.     

Electromagnetically-induced transparency and slow light in room temperature <Superscript>4</Superscript>He*

Electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) in three-level Λ-systems is based on quantum interference effects involving coherence between the two lower levels, which allow propagation of a resonant probe light beam in the presence of a strong coupling field. We have observed transparency in ultra-narrow (<10 kHz) windows at the resonant 1.083 μm transition for purely electronic spins in gaseous ⁴He* at room temperature. Slow light is an interesting outcome of the EIT phenomenon due to extreme dispersion within the narrow transparency window. We have obtained group delays of about 4 μs in a 2.5 cm long He* cell. A complete theoretical analysis explains our observations emphasizing the positive role of collisions. Slow light with 1-GHz Doppler broadening opens the door to applications of controllable large-bandwidth delays in radars.     

三能级电磁感应透明中辐射场的量子统计特性

对Λ型三能级原子电磁感应透明（EIT）过程中辐射场的二阶相干度进行了研究。理论分析表明，在电磁感应透明系统中，由于原子的相干效应导致其上能级共振荧光场的二阶相干度将呈现单光子场的量子统计特性。并对其随耦合场强度和探测光失谐的变化进行了详细的分析和讨论，结果发现：在｜Ω｜〉（Γ2＋Γ3）／2情况下．采用较弱的耦合光功率（由托比频率Ω表征）及较大的探测光失谐，在较长时间延迟范围内，二阶相十度保持小于1，更利于实现非经典场的量子统计行为；相反，在｜Ω｜≤（Γ2＋Γ3）／2情况下，探测光的失谐量越小，越利于获得二阶相干度小于1的量子统计光场。南此可见选取合适的参量可优化电磁感应透明过程中单光子场的量子统计特性。     

Controllable beating signal using stored light pulse

We experimentally study the controllable generation of a beating signal using stored light pulses based on electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT) in a solid medium. The beating signal relies on an asymmetric procedure of light storage and retrieval. After storing the probe pulse into the spin coherence under the EIT condition, two-color control fields with opposite detunings instead of the initial control field are used to scatter the stored spin coherence. The controllable beating signal is generated due to alternative constructive and destructive interferences in the retrieved signal intensities. The beating of the two-color control fields is mapped into the beating of weak probe fields by using atomic spin coherence. This beating signal will be important in precise atomic spectroscopy and fast quantum limited measurements.     

Eu~(3+)∶Y_2SiO_5晶体中电磁感应透明及群速度减慢研究

利用光与物质相互作用的密度矩阵方程及其数值解研究了Eu3 ∶Y2SiO5晶体中一种Λ型的电磁感应透明(EIT)和群速度减慢(SGV),得到了探测场的透射率随着探测场的失谐与耦合场的拉比频率的变化关系。分析了自旋子能级非均匀线宽及光学跃迁非均匀线宽对电磁感应透明和群速度减慢的影响,这两个线宽的增加不同程度地抑制了电磁感应透明。根据浓度与非均匀线宽的关系发现中心透射率不是随着浓度的增加而单调变化,而是存在一个最佳浓度使电磁感应透明的效果更加明显。分析表明对某一耦合场强,光群速度存在一极小值。     

Quantum noise property in coherent atomic system

The coherent superposition of atomic states leads to the characteristic change of interacting lights because of the coupling between the lights and atoms. In this paper, the noise spectrum of the quantified light interacting with the atoms is studied under the condition of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). It is shown that the noise spectrum displays a double M-shape noise profile resulted from the conversion of phase noise of probe beam. A squeezing of 0.3 dB can be observed at the detuning of probe light at the proper parameters of atoms and coupling beam.     

Frequency‐sensitive switching control effect induced by two‐photon resonance in an EIT‐based layered medium

The optical response of an atomic vapor can be coherently manipulated by tunable quantum interference occurring in atomic transition processes. A periodic layered medium whose unit cells consist of a dielectric and an EIT (electromagnetically induced transparency) atomic vapor is designed for light propagation manipulation. Such an EIT‐based periodic layered medium exhibits a flexible frequency‐sensitive optical response, where a very small change in probe frequency can lead to a drastic variation of reflectance and transmittance. As the destructive quantum interference relevant to two‐photon resonance arises in EIT atoms interacting with both control and probe fields, the controllable optical processes that depend sensitively on the external control field will take place in this EIT‐based periodic layered medium. Such a frequency‐sensitive and field‐controlled optical behavior of reflection and transmission in the EIT photonic crystal can be applicable to designs of new devices such as photonic switches, photonic logic gates and photonic transistors, where one laser field can be controlled by the other one, and would have potential applications in the areas of integrated optical circuits and other related techniques (e.g., all‐optical instrumentations).     

Manipulating stored images with phase imprinting at low light levels

Coherent manipulation of stored images is performed at low light levels based on enhanced cross-Kerr nonlinearity in a four-level N-type electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) system. Using intensity masks in the signal pulse, quadratic phase shifts with low nonlinear absorption can be efficiently imprinted on the Fraunhofer diffraction patterns already stored in the EIT system. Fast-Fourier-transform-based numerical simulations clearly demonstrate that the far-field images of the retrieved probe light can be flexibly modulated by applying different signal fields. Our studies could help advance the goals of nonlinear all-optical processing for spatial information coherently stored in EIT systems.     

Full Quantum Theory of Transient-State Electromagnetically Induced Transparency

We develop a full quantum theory of transient-state electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in the vapor of three-level A-type atoms interacting with probe and coupling lasers. As applications of the full quantum theory, we show that transient-state EIT medium exhibits normal dispersion and find that group velocities of both coupling and probe lasers are greatly reduced. It is shown that the group velocity of the probe laser in the transient-state EIT case is equal to that in the adiabatic EIT case and that the coupling laser group velocity in the transient-state EIT is generally less than that in the adiabatic EIT.     

Enhancement of electromagnetically induced transparency in room temperature alkali metal vapor

Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) has led to several quantum optics effects such as lasing without inversion or squeezed light generation. More recently quantum memories based on EIT have been experimentally implemented in different systems such as alkali metal atoms. In this system the excited state of the optical transition splits into several sublevels due to the hyperfine interaction. However, most of the theoretical models used to describe the experimental results are based on a Λ-system with only one excited state. In this article, we present a theoretical model for the Λ-type interaction of two light, fields and an atomic system with multiple excited state. In particular we show that if the control and probe fields are orthogonally circularly polarized the EIT effect in an alkali-metal vapor can almost disappears. We also identify the reasons of this reduction and propose a method to recover the transparency via velocity selective optical pumping.     

The manipulating of electromagnetically induced transparency in Pr: Y2SiO5 crystal by a rf-driving field

We studied theoretically the effect of an additional rf-driving field on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and group velocity of a probe light in Pr³⁺:Y₂SiO₅ crystal. The results show that more than one EIT widnows could be opened and their position, intensity can be controlled by the rf-driving field. The depth and position of the minimum of group velocity could also be manipulated by the rf field.     

Full Quantum Theory of Transient-State Electromagnetically Induced Transparency

We develop a full quantum theory of transient-state electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in thevapor of three-level A-type atoms interacting with probe and coupling lasers. As applications of the full quantum theory,we show that transient-state EIT medium exhibits normal dispersion and find that group velocities of both coupling andprobe lasers are greatly reduced. It is shown that the group velocity of the probe laser in the transient-state EIT case isequal to that in the adiabatic EIT case and that the coupling laser group velocity in the transient-state EIT is generallyless than that in the adiabatic EIT.     

回音壁微腔光力系统的相干控制与完全相干透射

本文研究了两侧同时输入的回音壁模谐振双微腔光力系统中电磁诱导透明的相干调控.通过改变双微腔两侧探测场的强度比值及相位差,可以有效控制电磁诱导透明窗口的宽度和深度,对探测场的吸收和色散等性质实施显著的影响,并且能够在特殊频率处产生关于探测场的完全相干透射现象.