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arXiv:0708.1750 · Physical Review A

Dark-state polaritons in single- and double- Λ media

Y. D. Chong, Marin Soljacic A

Published Jan 23, 2008• 21 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We derive the properties of polaritons in single-$\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ and double-$\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ media using a microscopic equation-of-motion technique. In each case, the polaritonic dispersion relation and composition arise from a matrix eigenvalue problem for arbitrary control field strengths. We show that the double-$\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ medium can be used to up- or down-convert single photons while preserving quantum coherence. The existence of a dark-state polariton protects this single-photon four-wave mixing effect against incoherent decay of the excited atomic states. The efficiency of this conversion is limited mainly by the sample size and the lifetime of the metastable state.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.77.013823

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•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations
We derive the properties of polaritons in single-\ensuremathΛ\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremathΛ and double-\ensuremathΛ\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremathΛ media using a microscopic equation-of-motion technique. In each case, the polaritonic dispersion relation and composition arise from a matrix eigenvalue problem for arbitrary control field strengths. We show that the double-\ensuremathΛ\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremathΛ medium can be used to up- or down-convert single photons while preserving quantum coherence. The existence of a dark-state polariton protects this single-photon four-wave mixing effect against incoherent decay of the excited atomic states. The efficiency of this conversion is limited mainly by the sample size and the lifetime of the metastable state.
We investigate the formation of dark-state polaritons in an ensemble of degenerate two-level atoms admitting electromagnetically induced transparency. Using a generalization of microscopic equation-of-motion technique, multiple collective polariton modes are identified depending on the polarizations of two coupling fields. For each mode, the polariton dispersion relation and composition are obtained in a closed form out of a matrix eigenvalue problem for arbitrary control field strengths. We illustrate the algorithm by considering the F g = 2 → F e = 1 transition of the D 1 line in 87 Rb atomic vapor. In addition, an application of dark-state polaritons to the frequency and/or polarization conversion, using D 1 and D 2 transitions in cold Rb atoms, is given.
An ideal and reversible transfer technique for the quantum state between light and metastable collective states of matter is presented and analyzed in detail. The method is based on the control of photon propagation in coherently driven three-level atomic media, in which the group velocity is adiabatically reduced to zero. Form-stable coupled excitations of light and matter (``dark-state polaritons'') associated with the propagation of quantum fields in electromagnetically induced transparency are identified, their basic properties discussed and their application for quantum memories for light analyzed.
This thesis covers a theoretical analysis of non-interacting and interacting quasi\nparticles, called polaritons. Polaritons are composites, based on photonic and atomic\nexcitations in a tunable and controlled manner. Dark-state polaritons, as a subclass\nof polaritons, are very curious objects, as they can act as a quantum memory of\nphotons within an ensemble of alkali-metal atoms in -type conguration which\nadmit electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). This thesis focus on the\nformation of dark-state polaritons in degenerate two-level systems, where two light\nelds, a quantum probe and a classical driving eld, couple the same transition\nbetween the ground state and excited state manifold. An algorithm is going to\nbe derived in order to determine the dispersion relation and inherent composition\nof the dark-state polaritons in the degenerate two-level system. The algorithm is\nbased on a microscopic equation of motion technique and provides an extension of\nthe non-degenerate case. Depending on the polarization of the light elds, it will be\nshown that either one or two dark-state polaritons can exist. Further, the calculated\ndark-state polaritons can be used in order to perform a frequency conversion and\neven a conversion of linear light polarization.\nIn the second part of the thesis, interacting polaritons in arrays of coupled QED\ncavities will be discussed. In rst place, the standard Jaynes-Cummings model is\ndiscussed in order to provide a better insight to polaritons in QED cavities. Then,\na modied Jaynes-Cummings model is introduced and derived in order to study\ndark-polaritons and their interaction. It will be shown that dark-polaritons directly\ndepend on the common single photon detuning of the two coupling elds, quantum\nprobe and classical driving eld. The interaction between dark-polaritons will be\ndiscussed where the emergence of dark-polariton bound pairs will be shown. By\ntuning the Stark-shift due to the classical control eld, the number and the composition\nof dark-polariton bound pairs can be controlled. It will be demonstrated\nthat there exists a dark-polariton bound pair which diers from the aforementioned\nones, because it represents a ground state of the system. Using that kind of a darkpolariton\nbound pair, storage and retrieval of a single photon can be performed,\neven though that the photons are in a two-photon bound state.\nIn the last part of the thesis, disorder between QED cavities will be introduced\nin a controlled manner through staggered inter-cavity photon hopping strengths J1\nand J2. Further, the appearance of a dark-polariton bound pair of a completely\ndierent type will be presented.
We consider slow-light propagation in an atomic medium with a tripod level scheme. We show that the coexistence of two types of dark-state polaritons leads to the propagation dynamics, which is qualitatively different from that in a $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ medium, and allows therefore for very efficient conversion of signal photons into spin excitations. This efficiency is shown to be very close to 1 even for very long signal light pulses, which could not be entirely compressed into a $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ medium at a comparable strength of the control field.
We identify form-stable coupled excitations of light and matter ("dark-state polaritons") associated with the propagation of quantum fields in electromagnetically induced transparency. The properties of dark-state polaritons such as the group velocity are determined by the mixing angle between light and matter components and can be controlled by an external coherent field as the pulse propagates. In particular, light pulses can be decelerated and "trapped" in which case their shape and quantum state are mapped onto metastable collective states of matter. Possible applications of this reversible coherent-control technique are discussed.
The present work Materwave Optics with Dark-state Polaritons: Applications to Interferometry and Quantum Information deals in a broad sense with the subject of dark-states and in particular with the so-called dark-state polaritons introduced by M. Fleischhauer and M. D. Lukin. The dark-state polaritons can be regarded as a combined excitation of electromagnetic fields and spin/matter-waves. Within the framework of this thesis the special optical properties of the combined excitation are studied. On one hand a new procedure to spatially manipulate and to increase the excitation density of stored photons is described and on the other hand the properties are used to construct a new type of Sagnac Hybrid interferometer. The thesis is devided into four parts. In the introduction all notions necessary to understand the work are described, e.g.: electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), dark-state polaritons and the Sagnac effect. The second chapter considers the method developed by A. Andre and M. D. Lukin to create stationary light pulses in specially dressed EIT-media. In a first step a set of field equations is derived and simplified by introducing a new set of normal modes. The absorption of one of the normal modes leads to the phenomenon of pulse-matching for the other mode and thereby to a diffusive spreading of its field envelope. All these considerations are based on a homogeneous field setup of the EIT preparation laser. If this restriction is dismissed one finds that a drift motion is superimposed to the diffusive spreading. By choosing a special laser configuration the drift motion can be tailored such that an effective force is created that counteracts the spreading. Moreover, the force can not only be strong enough to compensate the diffusive spreading but also to exceed this dynamics and hence to compress the field envelope of the excitation. The compression can be discribed using a Fokker-Planck equation of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type. The investigations show that the compression leads to an excitation of higher-order modes which decay very fast. In the last section of the chapter this exciation will be discussed in more detail and conditions will be given how the excitation of higher-order modes can be avoided or even suppressed. All results given in the chapter are supported by numerical simulatons. In the third chapter the matterwave optical properties of the dark-state polaritons will be studied. They will be used to construct a light-matterwave hybrid Sagnac interferometer. First the principle setup of such an interferometer will be sketched and the relevant equations of motion of light-matter interaction in a rotating frame will be derived. These form the basis of the following considerations of the dark-state polariton dynamics with and without the influence of external trapping potentials on the matterwave part of the polariton. It will be shown that a sensitivity enhancement compared to a passive laser gyroscope can be anticipated if the gaseous medium is initially in a superfluid quantum state in a ring-trap configuration. To achieve this enhancement a simultaneous coherence and momentum transfer is furthermore necessary. In the last part of the chapter the quantum sensitivity limit of the hybrid interferometer is derived using the one-particle density matrix equations incorporating the motion of the particles. To this end the Maxwell-Bloch equations are considered perturbatively in the rotation rate of the noninertial frame of reference and the susceptibility of the considered 3-level Λ\LambdaΛ-type system is derived in arbitrary order of the probe-field. This is done to determine the optimum operation point. With its help the anticipated quantum sensitivity of the light-matterwave hybrid Sagnac interferometer is calculated at the shot-noise limit and the results are compared to state-of-the-art laser and matterwave Sagnac interferometers. The last chapter of the thesis originates from a joint theoretical and experimental project with the AG Bergmann. This chapter does no longer consider the dark-state polaritons of the last two chapters but deals with the more general concept of dark states and in particular with the transient velocity selective dark states as introduced by E. Arimondo et al. In the experiment we could for the first time measure these states. The chapter starts with an introduction into the concept of velocity selective dark states as they occur in a Λ\LambdaΛ-configuration. Then we introduce the transient velocity selective dark-states as they occur in an particular extension of the Λ\LambdaΛ-system. For later use in the simulations the relevant equations of motion are derived in detail. The simulations are based on the solution of the generalized optical Bloch equations. Finally the experimental setup and procedure are explained and the theoretical and experimental results are compared.