Theory and experiment for atomic optical filter based on optical anisotropy in rubidium

An atomic optical filter based on optical anisotropy induced by another left-circularly polarized pump field is theoretically and experimentally investigated in the 5S_1/2–5P_3/2–5D_3/2 ladder-type system of rubidium vapor. The filter displays a single peak transmission of 14.4% with 396 MHz bandwidth narrower than Doppler width. Furthermore, the variation of peak transmission versus pump intensity, pump detuning and cell temperature are also given. The theoretical and experimental results are in good agreement, which can enhance understanding of operation mechanism for this category of filter. The narrow-bandwidth filter is useful for free-space optical systems and laser spectroscopy.