Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1407.2841 · Physical Review A

Diagrammatic treatment of coherent backscattering of intense light by cold atoms with degenerate energy levels

Vyacheslav Shatokhin, Ralf Blattmann, Thomas Wellens, Andreas Buchleitner

Published Aug 26, 2014• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We present a generalization of the diagrammatic pump-probe approach to coherent backscattering (CBS) of intense laser light for atoms with degenerate energy levels. We employ this approach for a characterization of the double-scattering signal from optically pumped atoms with the transition ${J}_{g}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{J}_{e}={J}_{g}+1$ in the helicity-preserving polarization channel. We show that, in the saturation regime, the internal degeneracy becomes manifest for atoms with ${J}_{g}\ensuremath{\ge}1$, leading to a faster decrease of the CBS enhancement factor with increasing saturation parameter than in the nondegenerate case.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.90.023850

Related papers

Coherent inelastic backscattering of laser light from three isotropic atoms

Andreas Ketterer, Andreas Buchleitner, Vyacheslav Shatokhin

We study the impact of double- and triple-scattering contributions on coherent backscattering of laser light from saturated isotropic atoms in the helicity-preserving polarization channel. By using the recently proposed diagrammatic pump-probe approach, we analytically derive single-atom spectral responses to a classical polychromatic driving field, combine them self-consistently to double- and triple-scattering processes, and numerically deduce the corresponding elastic and inelastic spectra, as well as the total backscattered intensities. We find that accounting for the triple-scattering contribution leads to a faster decay of phase-coherence with increasing saturation of the atomic transition as compared with double scattering alone and to a better agreement with the experiment on strontium atoms.

arXiv:1409.3597•Physical Review A•Nov 20, 2014•7 citations

Diagrammatic approach to coherent backscattering of laser light by cold atoms: double scattering revisited

V Shatokhin, Thomas Wellens, Andreas Buchleitner

We present a diagrammatic derivation of the coherent backscattering spectrum from two two-level atoms using the pump-probe approach, wherein the multiple scattering signal is deduced from single-atom responses, and provide a physical interpretation of the single-atom building blocks.

arXiv:1204.1512•Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Oct 1, 2012•3 citations

Weak localization of light by cold atoms: The impact of quantum internal structure

Cord Axel Müller, Thibaut Jonckheere, Christian Miniatura +1 more

Since the work of Anderson on localization, interference effects for the propagation of a wave in the presence of disorder have been extensively studied, as exemplified in coherent backscattering (CBS) of light. In the multiple scattering of light by a disordered sample of thermal atoms, interference effects are usually washed out by the fast atomic motion. This is no longer true for cold atoms where CBS has recently been observed. However, the internal structure of the atoms strongly influences the interference properties. In this paper, we consider light scattering by an atomic dipole transition with arbitrary degeneracy and study its impact on coherent backscattering. We show that the interference contrast is strongly reduced. Assuming a uniform statistical distribution over internal degrees of freedom, we compute analytically the single- and double-scattering contributions to the intensity in the weak-localization regime. The so-called ladder and crossed diagrams are generalized to the case of atoms and permit to calculate enhancement factors and backscattering intensity profiles for polarized light and any closed atomic dipole transition.

arXiv:quant-ph/0107030•Physical Review A•Oct 2, 2001•62 citations

Coherent backscattering of light by resonant atomic dipole transitions

David Wilkowski, Yannick Bidel, T. Chanelière +8 more

We study coherent backscattering (CBS) of resonant light by cold atomic vapors, both experimentally and theoretically. The theory predicts a drastic reduction of the CBS enhancement factor when a degenerate internal structure is present in the ground state. We test this prediction in experiments using different atoms and various transitions.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jan 1, 2004•15 citations

Elastic versus inelastic coherent backscattering of laser light by cold atoms: A master-equation treatment

Vyacheslav Shatokhin, Cord Axel Müller, Andreas Buchleitner

We give a detailed derivation of the master-equation description of the coherent backscattering of laser light by cold atoms. In particular, our formalism accounts for the nonperturbative nonlinear response of the atoms when the injected intensity saturates the atomic transition. Explicit expressions are given for total and elastic backscattering intensities in the different polarization channels, for the simplest nontrivial multiple-scattering scenario of intense laser light multiply scattering from two randomly placed atoms.

arXiv:quant-ph/0603054•Physical Review A•Jun 15, 2006•18 citations

Coherent backscattering of light from a cold atomic cloud

G. Labeyrie, F. De Tomasi, J.-C. Bernard +3 more

We report the first observation of coherent backscattering of light from a sample of laser-cooled atoms. Rubidium 85 atoms are captured from a room-temperature vapor in a magneto-optical trap, and illuminated with a laser probe. The angular intensity distribution of the backscattered light is recorded on a cooled CCD detector. We observe a small enhancement factor in all polarization channels, including the helicity preserving channel where the enhancement is only 1.08. This surprising observation is attributed to the existence of contrast reduction processes involving the atom's internal structure.

Journal de Physique IV (Proceedings)•May 1, 2000•0 citations
We present a generalization of the diagrammatic pump-probe approach to coherent backscattering (CBS) of intense laser light for atoms with degenerate energy levels. We employ this approach for a characterization of the double-scattering signal from optically pumped atoms with the transition Jg\ensuremath→Je=Jg+1{J}_{g}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{J}_{e}={J}_{g}+1Jg​\ensuremath→Je​=Jg​+1 in the helicity-preserving polarization channel. We show that, in the saturation regime, the internal degeneracy becomes manifest for atoms with Jg\ensuremath≥1{J}_{g}\ensuremath{\ge}1Jg​\ensuremath≥1, leading to a faster decrease of the CBS enhancement factor with increasing saturation parameter than in the nondegenerate case.
We study the impact of double- and triple-scattering contributions on coherent backscattering of laser light from saturated isotropic atoms in the helicity-preserving polarization channel. By using the recently proposed diagrammatic pump-probe approach, we analytically derive single-atom spectral responses to a classical polychromatic driving field, combine them self-consistently to double- and triple-scattering processes, and numerically deduce the corresponding elastic and inelastic spectra, as well as the total backscattered intensities. We find that accounting for the triple-scattering contribution leads to a faster decay of phase-coherence with increasing saturation of the atomic transition as compared with double scattering alone and to a better agreement with the experiment on strontium atoms.
Since the work of Anderson on localization, interference effects for the propagation of a wave in the presence of disorder have been extensively studied, as exemplified in coherent backscattering (CBS) of light. In the multiple scattering of light by a disordered sample of thermal atoms, interference effects are usually washed out by the fast atomic motion. This is no longer true for cold atoms where CBS has recently been observed. However, the internal structure of the atoms strongly influences the interference properties. In this paper, we consider light scattering by an atomic dipole transition with arbitrary degeneracy and study its impact on coherent backscattering. We show that the interference contrast is strongly reduced. Assuming a uniform statistical distribution over internal degrees of freedom, we compute analytically the single- and double-scattering contributions to the intensity in the weak-localization regime. The so-called ladder and crossed diagrams are generalized to the case of atoms and permit to calculate enhancement factors and backscattering intensity profiles for polarized light and any closed atomic dipole transition.
We give a detailed derivation of the master-equation description of the coherent backscattering of laser light by cold atoms. In particular, our formalism accounts for the nonperturbative nonlinear response of the atoms when the injected intensity saturates the atomic transition. Explicit expressions are given for total and elastic backscattering intensities in the different polarization channels, for the simplest nontrivial multiple-scattering scenario of intense laser light multiply scattering from two randomly placed atoms.
We report the first observation of coherent backscattering of light from a sample of laser-cooled atoms. Rubidium 85 atoms are captured from a room-temperature vapor in a magneto-optical trap, and illuminated with a laser probe. The angular intensity distribution of the backscattered light is recorded on a cooled CCD detector. We observe a small enhancement factor in all polarization channels, including the helicity preserving channel where the enhancement is only 1.08. This surprising observation is attributed to the existence of contrast reduction processes involving the atom's internal structure.