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arXiv:1811.10647 · Physical Review A

Transfer of optical vortices in coherently prepared media

Hamid Reza Hamedi, Julius Ruseckas, Emmanuel Paspalakis, Gediminas Juzeliūnas

Published Mar 6, 2019• 80 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We consider transfer of optical vortices between laser pulses carrying orbital angular momentum in a cloud of cold atoms characterized by the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ configuration of the atom-light coupling. The atoms are initially prepared in a coherent superposition of the lower levels, creating a so-called phaseonium medium. If a single vortex beam initially acts on one transition of the scheme, an extra laser beam is subsequently generated with the same vorticity as that of the incident vortex beam. The absorption of the incident probe beam takes place mostly at the beginning of the atomic medium within the absorption length. The losses disappear as the probe beam propagates deeper into the medium where the atoms are transferred to their dark states. The method is extended to a tripod atom-light coupling scheme and a more general ($n+1$)-level scheme containing $n$ ground states and one excited state, allowing for creation of multiple twisted light beams. We also analyze generation of composite optical vortices in the scheme using a superposition of two initial vortex beams and study lossless propagation of such composite vortices.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.99.033812

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We consider transfer of optical vortices between laser pulses carrying orbital angular momentum in a cloud of cold atoms characterized by the \ensuremathΛ\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\ensuremathΛ configuration of the atom-light coupling. The atoms are initially prepared in a coherent superposition of the lower levels, creating a so-called phaseonium medium. If a single vortex beam initially acts on one transition of the scheme, an extra laser beam is subsequently generated with the same vorticity as that of the incident vortex beam. The absorption of the incident probe beam takes place mostly at the beginning of the atomic medium within the absorption length. The losses disappear as the probe beam propagates deeper into the medium where the atoms are transferred to their dark states. The method is extended to a tripod atom-light coupling scheme and a more general (n+1n+1n+1)-level scheme containing nnn ground states and one excited state, allowing for creation of multiple twisted light beams. We also analyze generation of composite optical vortices in the scheme using a superposition of two initial vortex beams and study lossless propagation of such composite vortices.
This paper explores the propagation of optical vortices of slow light inside a four-level tripod atomic light-matter coupling system. Initially, the system is prepared in a coherent superposition of two out of the three lower levels by, for example, coherent population trapping, while the third lower state remains unoccupied. The unoccupied state is coupled to a strong control laser field with a constant Rabi frequency, lacking orbital angular momentum (OAM). Simultaneously, one of the remaining lower states interacts with a weak vortex beam. The third lower state has no initial coupling to any field. This arrangement effectively closes the level transitions, resulting in a phase-dependent configuration. By solving the Maxwell-Schr\"odinger equations, we provide analytical evidence that the application of a strong control field can generate an additional optical vortex of slow light. This vortex possesses the same OAM as the incident vortex beam. Furthermore, we explore the matching of optical vortices at different propagation distances, contingent upon the intensity of the control field. Additionally, our analysis extends to a more complex five-level tripod and $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ scheme, where we introduce two additional strong control fields to prepare the atoms in a coherent superposition of two lower levels.
We study the manipulation of slow light with an orbital angular momentum propagating in a cloud of cold atoms. Atoms are affected by four co-propagating control laser beams in a double tripod configuration of the atomic energy levels involved, allowing us to minimize the losses at the vortex core of the control beams. In such a situation the atomic medium is transparent for a pair of co-propagating probe fields, leading to the creation of two-component (spinor) slow light. We study the interaction between the probe fields when two control beams carry optical vortices of opposite helicity. As a result, a transfer of the optical vortex takes place from the control to the probe fields without switching off and on the control beams. This feature is missing in a single tripod scheme where the optical vortex can be transferred from the control to the probe field only during either the storage or retrieval of light.
We propose and analyze an efficient scheme for the coherent transfer of optical vortices in a cold atomic ensemble with four-level double-$\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ configuration. The orbital angular-momentum (OAM) information can be transferred from the incident vortex fields to the generated backward signal field via resonant backward four-wave mixing (FWM). Considering the single vortex probe field initially acting on one transition of the atomic ensemble and using experimentally achievable parameters, we identify the conditions under which the resonant backward FWM allows us to greatly improve the conversion efficiency of optical vortices beyond what is achievable in the resonant forward OAM transfers. It is found that the complete energy conversion of optical vortices originates from the perfect competition between linear absorption and parametric gain. We also demonstrate that the phase mismatching would be detrimental to the high-efficiency transfer of optical vortices. Furthermore, we show that the generated backward signal field develops a new pure or mixing OAM state when the control field is also a vortex beam. Finally, we investigate the composite vortex beam generated by collinear superposition of the incident vortex probe and signal fields, which can controlled via adjusting the intensity of the control field. Our scheme may have potential applications in OAM-based optical communication and optical information processing.
We consider propagation, storing and retrieval of slow light (probe beam) in a resonant atomic medium illuminated by two control laser beams of larger intensity. The probe and two control beams act on atoms in a tripod configuration of light–matter coupling. The first control beam is allowed to have an orbital angular momentum (OAM). Application of the second vortex-free control laser ensures the adiabatic (lossless) propagation of the probe beam at the vortex core where the intensity of the first control laser goes to zero. Storing and release of the probe beam is accomplished by switching off and on the control laser beams leading to the transfer of the optical vortex from the first control beam to the regenerated probe field. A part of the stored probe beam remains frozen in the medium in the form of atomic spin excitations, the number of which increases with increasing intensity of the second control laser. We analyze such losses in the regenerated probe beam and provide conditions for the optical vortex of the control beam to be transferred efficiently to the restored probe beam.
We investigate the propagation of an optical vector vortex weakly interacting with a coherently prepared atomic medium (phaseonium) in a three-level ΛΛΛ configuration. The vector beam consists of vortex pulse pairs with right- and left-circular polarizations, corresponding to opposite spin angular momentum (SAM), and carrying opposite orbital angular momentum (OAM) charges ±l\pm l±l. We show that during the propagation of the vortex pairs, analytically obtained in the linear regime, the medium inherits the topology of the vortex pair, mapping the OAM onto a spatially structured atomic coherence. This mapping produces 2∣l∣−2|l|-2∣l∣−fold azimuthal transparency structures that reshape the beam intensity from a ring into a petal-like pattern. The OAM-structured atomic coherence induces a corresponding optical anisotropy within the medium, which feeds back into the propagating vector beam, resulting in optical spin-orbit coupling manifested as SAM exchange, rotation, and evolution of polarization textures. Depending on the initial ground-state population of the phaseonium, the polarization state evolves between left-circular, linear, and right-circular polarizations.
We consider propagation, storing and retrieval of slow light (probe beam) in a resonant atomic medium illuminated by two control laser beams of larger intensity.The probe and two control beams act on atoms in a tripod configuration of light-matter coupling.The first control beam is allowed to have an orbital angular momentum (OAM).Application of the second vortex-free control laser ensures the adiabatic (lossless) propagation of the probe beam at the vortex core where the intensity of the first control laser goes to zero.Storing and release of the probe beam is accomplished by switching off and on the control laser beams leading to the transfer of the optical vortex from the first control beam to the regenerated probe field.A part of the stored probe beam remains frozen in the medium in the form of atomic spin excitations, the number of which increases with increasing intensity of the second control laser.We analyze such losses in the regenerated probe beam and provide conditions for the optical vortex of the control beam to be transferred efficiently to the restored probe beam.