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arXiv:2109.04755 · Optics Express

Phase gradient protection of stored spatially multimode perfect optical vortex beams in a diffused rubidium vapor

Yun Chen, Jinwen Wang, Chengyuan Wang, Shougang Zhang, Mingtao Cao, Sonja Franke‐Arnold, Hong Gao, Fuli Li

Published Sep 10, 2021• 15 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the optical storage of perfect optical vortex (POV) and spatially multimode perfect optical vortex (MPOV) beams via electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a hot vapor cell. In particular, we study the role that phase gradients and phase singularities play in reducing the blurring of the retrieved images due to atomic diffusion. Three kinds of manifestations are enumerated to demonstrate such effect. Firstly, the suppression of the ring width broadening is more prominent for POVs with larger orbital angular momentum (OAM). Secondly, the retrieved double-ring MPOV beams' profiles present regular dark singularity distributions that are related to their vortex charge difference. Thirdly, the storage fidelities of the triple-ring MPOVs are substantially improved by designing line phase singularities between multi-ring MPOVs with the same OAM number but π offset phases between adjacent rings. Our experimental demonstration of MPOV storage opens new opportunities for increasing data capacity in quantum memories by spatial multiplexing, as well as the generation and manipulation of complex optical vortex arrays.

DOI
10.1364/oe.439716

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We experimentally investigate the optical storage of perfect optical vortex (POV) and spatially multimode perfect optical vortex (MPOV) beams via electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a hot vapor cell. In particular, we study the role that phase gradients and phase singularities play in reducing the blurring of the retrieved images due to atomic diffusion. Three kinds of manifestations are enumerated to demonstrate such effect. Firstly, the suppression of the ring width broadening is more prominent for POVs with larger orbital angular momentum (OAM). Secondly, the retrieved double-ring MPOV beams' profiles present regular dark singularity distributions that are related to their vortex charge difference. Thirdly, the storage fidelities of the triple-ring MPOVs are substantially improved by designing line phase singularities between multi-ring MPOVs with the same OAM number but π offset phases between adjacent rings. Our experimental demonstration of MPOV storage opens new opportunities for increasing data capacity in quantum memories by spatial multiplexing, as well as the generation and manipulation of complex optical vortex arrays.
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Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is a fundamental effect in quantum optics, providing a versatile platform for quantum technologies. A growing frontier is the integration of EIT with structured light, particularly vortex beams. Extending this to the spatiotemporal domain, we herein study the propagation and evolution of spatiotemporal optical vortex (STOV) beams in an EIT medium. We derive an analytical solution for the evolved STOV field and its stability criterion, and analyze the propagation dynamics with a primary focus on the evolution of the phase singularity. Following the splitting of the initial multi-charge STOV phase singularity upon propagation, the dynamics of the resultant first-order phase singularities are governed by the interplay of first-order loss dispersion (FLD), second-order loss dispersion (SLD), and group velocity dispersion (GVD) of the EIT medium. FLD dictates their overall directional shift, while SLD governs their mutual separation. Under normal GVD, the phase singularities evolve into parallel π -phase step lines and subsequently undergo a topological charge reversal; under zero GVD, only π -phase step lines are formed without topological charge reversal; both transitions are absent under anomalous GVD. These transitions occur in the far zone when the STOV’s center frequency lies within the EIT window, whereas around the absorption peak, they occur at a distance just prior to the critical point beyond which the field collapses. Furthermore, we establish the condition under which the splitting of the initial multi-charge STOV phase singularity is entirely suppressed throughout propagation. STOVs carry intrinsic transverse orbital angular momentum (OAM), providing a new, orthogonal dimension for photonic encoding beyond the conventional longitudinal OAM of spatial optical vortices. Integrating STOVs with EIT merges this robust quantum resource with a platform for coherent dispersion engineering, enabling high-dimensional quantum information processing in a vastly expanded state space that combines both longitudinal and transverse OAM.
We report an experiment in which an optical vortex is stored in a vapor of Rb atoms. Because of its 2pi phase twist, this mode, also known as the Laguerre-Gauss mode, is topologically stable and cannot unwind even under conditions of strong diffusion. For comparison, we stored a Gaussian beam with a dark center and a uniform phase. Contrary to the optical vortex, which stays stable for over 100 micros, the dark center in the retrieved flat-phased image was filled with light after a storage time as short as 10 micros. The experiment proves that higher electromagnetic modes can be converted into atomic coherences and that modes with phase singularities are robust to decoherence effects such as diffusion. This opens the possibility to more elaborate schemes for classical and quantum information storage in atomic vapors.