arXiv:1006.3998 · Physical Review Letters

Observation of the Rabi Oscillation of Light Driven by an Atomic Spin Wave

L. Q. Chen, Guo-Wan Zhang, Cheng-ling Bian, Chun-Hua Yuan, Z. Y. Ou, Weiping Zhang

Published Sep 24, 2010• 26 citations

Abstract

Coherent conversion between a Raman pump field and its Stokes field is observed in a Raman process with a strong atomic spin wave initially prepared by another Raman process operated in the stimulated emission regime. The oscillatory behavior resembles the Rabi oscillation in atomic population in a two-level atomic system driven by a strong light field. The Rabi-like oscillation frequency is found to be related to the strength of the prebuilt atomic spin wave. High conversion efficiency of 40% from the Raman pump field to the Stokes field is recorded and it is independent of the input Raman pump field. This process can act as a photon frequency multiplexer and may find wide applications in quantum information science.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.105.133603

Related papers

Efficient and coherent frequency conversions and nonlinear interference in optical parametric and atomic Raman processes

Yu Ding

By implementing a parametric down-conversion process with a strong signal field injection, we demonstrate that frequency down-conversion from pump photons to idler photons can be a coherent process. Contrary to a common misconception, we show that the process can be free of quantum noise. With an interference experiment, we demonstrate that coherence is preserved in the conversion process. This technique could lead to a high-fidelity quantum state transfer from a high-frequency photon to a low-frequency photon and connect a missing link in quantum networks. Coherent and efficient nonlinear interaction and frequency conversion are of great interest in many areas of quantum optics. Traditionally, the low efficiency of Raman scattering is improved by a high-finesse optical resonator or stimulated Raman conversion. It was recently found that the atomic spin wave initially built through electromagnetically induced transparency or a weak Raman process can actively enhance the Raman frequency conversion. An experimental demonstration of an efficient Raman conversion scheme with coherent feedback of both pump and Stokes fields is presented. The temporal profile of the generated Raman pulse shows that the coherence time of the atomic spin wave is $\sim$1.8 ms. A laser-like power threshold is observed and its low threshold is attributed to the long coherence time of the atomic spin wave. The mechanism of the conversion enhancement process is discussed and the conversion efficiency of a single pass of the beams is compared with that of double passes. Finally, a beat signal is observed between the two Stokes fields and its Fourier transform shows that the frequency difference is caused by the AC Stark effect. Precision phase measurement is traditionally restricted by the standard quantum limit. However, this limit is not as fundamental as the Heisenberg limit and can be circumvented by use of nonclassical quantum states and structure modification of the interferometers. Several examples of nonlinear interferometers are proposed and implemented. The wave propagation equations for the nonlinear interferometers are solved. The interference fringes are measured and compared with that of linear interferometers. The first nonlinear interferometer presented is based on second harmonic generation and degenerate parametric down-conversion. The second nonlinear interferometer is composed of two parametric amplifiers. The idea of nonlinear beam splitters is introduced as an analogy to traditional beam splitters. We show that a nonlinear interferometer can be built alternatively by using only one parametric amplifier. Type II phase-matched crystals can be used to increase the amplification factor. An interferometer based on a Raman amplifier is analyzed for its application to sensitive magnetic field measurement.

Jan 1, 20140 citations

Cascade correlation-enhanced Raman scattering in atomic vapors

Hongmei Ma, L. Q. Chen, Chun-Hua Yuan

A new Raman process can be used to realize efficient Raman frequency conversion by coherent feedback at low light intensity [Chen B, Zhang K, Bian C L, Qiu C, Yuan C H, Chen L Q, Ou Z Y, and Zhang W P 2013 Opt. Express 21 , 10490]. We present a theoretical model to describe this enhanced Raman process, termed as cascade correlation-enhanced Raman scattering, which is a Raman process injected by a seeded light field. It is correlated with the initially prepared atomic spin excitation and driven by the quasi-standing-wave pump fields, and the processes are repeated until the Stokes intensities are saturated. Such an enhanced Raman scattering may find applications in quantum information, nonlinear optics, and optical metrology due to its simplicity.

Chinese Physics BNov 29, 20161 citation

Observation of oscillatory Raman gain associated with two-photon Rabi oscillations of nanofiber-coupled atoms

Christian Liedl, Sebastian Pucher, Philipp Schneeweiß +2 more

Abstract Quantum emitters with a Λ-type level structure enable numerous protocols and applications in quantum science and technology. Understanding and controlling their dynamics is, therefore, one of the central research topics in quantum optics. Here, we drive two-photon Rabi oscillations between the two ground states of cesium atoms and observe the associated oscillatory Raman gain and absorption that stems from the atom-mediated coherent photon exchange between the two drive fields. The atoms are efficiently and homogeneously coupled with the probe field by means of a nanofiber-based optical interface. We study the dependence of the two-photon Rabi frequency on the system parameters and observe Autler–Townes splitting in the probe transmission spectrum. Beyond shedding light on the fundamental processes underlying two-photon Rabi oscillations, our method could also be used to investigate (quantum) correlations between the two drive fields as well as the dynamical establishment of electromagnetically induced transparency.

arXiv:2207.00437Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical PhysicsOct 21, 20223 citations

Multiphoton Raman transitions and Rabi oscillations in driven spin systems

A. P. Saǐko, Siarhei A. Markevich, Ryhor Fedaruk

In the framework of the nonsecular perturbation theory based on the Bogoliubov averaging method, the coherent dynamics of multiphoton Raman transitions in a two-level spin system driven by an amplitude-modulated microwave field is studied. Closed-form expressions for the Rabi frequencies of these transitions are obtained beyond the rotating-wave approximation for the low-frequency driving component. It is shown that spin states dressed by the high-frequency component of the driving field are shifted due to the Bloch-Siegert-like effect caused by antiresonant interactions with the strong low-frequency driving. We predict that with increasing the order of the Raman transition, the Rabi frequency decreases and the contribution of the Bloch-Siegert shift to this frequency becomes dominant. It is found that the amplitude and phase of the Rabi oscillations strongly depend on the initial phase of the low-frequency field as well as on detuning from multiphoton resonance. The recent experimental data for the second- and third-order Raman transitions observed for the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond (Z. Shu et al., arXiv:1804.10492) are well described in the frame of our approach. Our results may provide new possibilities for coherent control of quantum systems.

arXiv:1807.05086Physical Review AOct 5, 201824 citations

Propagation of Intense Coherent Light Waves in Resonant Media

B. R. Mollow

The propagation of a strong coherent "pump" wave traveling through a resonant medium is discussed. The medium is assumed to consist of identical stationary atoms, and the pump-wave frequency is assumed to coincide exactly with the resonance frequency for transitions between a particular pair of atomic states. A previously developed theory of the response of a strongly driven atom to a weak nearly resonant "signal" field is used to deduce the existence of a coupling between any two waves travelling parallel to the pump wave whose (nearly equal) frequencies sum to twice the pump-wave frequency. In the limit of very intense (highly saturating) pump fields, the coupling between the two waves of nearby frequencies leads to amplification of both waves if their frequencies lie within an interval about the pump-wave frequency equal to the Rabi frequency of population inversion. The basic process, which is roughly described by travelling-wave parametric-amplifier equations of motion, consists of the absorption of two pump-field photons followed by their emission at different nearby frequencies, and thus implies a frequency instability of the initially coherent pump wave.

Physical Review AApr 1, 197324 citations

Efficient Raman Frequency Conversion by Feedbacks of Pump and Stokes Fields

Bing Chen, Kai Zhang, Chun-Hua Yuan +5 more

We experimentally demonstrate efficient Raman conversion to respective Stokes and anti-Stokes fields in both pulsed and continuous modes with a Rb-87 atomic vapor cell. The conversion efficiency is about 40-50% for the Stokes field and 20-30% for the anti-Stokes field, respectively. This conversion process is realized with feedback of both the Raman pump and the frequency-converted fields (Stokes or anti-Stokes). The experimental setup is very simple and can be applied easily to produce the light source with larger frequency difference using other Raman media. They may have wide applications in nonlinear optics, atomic physics, quantum optics and precise measurement.

arXiv:1210.5079Oct 18, 20120 citations