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arXiv:1301.6380 · Physical Review A

Rapidly reconfigurable optically induced photonic crystals in hot rubidium vapor

Bethany Little, David J. Starling, John C. Howell, Raphael D. Cohen, David Shwa, Nadav Y. Katz

Published Apr 15, 2013• 10 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Through periodic index modulation, we create two different types of photonic structures in a heated rubidium vapor for controlled reflection, transmission, and diffraction of light. The modulation is achieved through the use of the ac Stark effect resulting from a standing-wave control field. The periodic intensity structures create translationally invariant index profiles analogous to photonic crystals in spectral regions of steep dispersion. Experimental results are consistent with modeling.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.87.043815

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ABSTRACT The manipulation of light in periodic structures is fundamental to the development of discrete photonics and provides a versatile platform for controlling light propagation in integrated and quantum photonic systems. This work reports the experimental observation of discrete one‐dimensional (1D) solitons in a photonic lattice, optically induced in warm rubidium vapor. The lattice is generated by the interference of two coupling laser fields intersecting at a small angle, which creates a spatially modulated 1D refractive index. When a probe beam is focused into a single lattice site, discrete diffraction is observed. By increasing the probe intensity, discrete solitons emerge as a result of the balance between discrete diffraction and self‐focusing within the nonlinear atomic medium. Experimental results are supported by numerical simulations, in which the refractive index is modeled via optical Bloch equations for a multilevel atomic system driven by the coupling and probe fields in a configuration. These results, combined with the inherent controllability of gain and loss in atomic vapors, suggest that this platform provides a versatile foundation for exploring non‐Hermitian nonlinear dynamics in photonic lattices.
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