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:2212.02347 · Optics Express

Passive magnetic-free broadband optical isolator based on unidirectional self-induced transparency

Haodong Wu, Jiang-Shan Tang, Mingyuan Chen, Min Xiao, Yanqing Lu, Keyu Xia, Franco Nori

Published Mar 1, 2024• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Achieving a broadband nonreciprocal device without gain and any external bias is very challenging and highly desirable for modern photonic technologies and quantum networks. Here we theoretically propose a passive and magnetic-free all-optical isolator for a femtosecond laser pulse by exploiting a new mechanism of unidirectional self-induced transparency, obtained with a nonlinear medium followed by a normal absorbing medium at one side. The transmission contrast between the forward and backward directions can reach 14.3 dB for a 2π - 5 fs laser pulse. The 20 dB bandwidth is about 56 nm, already comparable with a magneto-optical isolator. This work provides a new mechanism which may benefit non-magnetic isolation of ultrashort laser pulses.

DOI
10.1364/oe.507019

Related papers

A compact magnetic-free optical isolator

De-Kang Chai, Jiangbin Zheng, G N Chen +8 more

Abstract Current commercial optical isolators (OIs) primarily rely on the Faraday effect in magneto-optical materials, which necessitates the use of external magnetic fields. Here, we report a passive OI constructed from compact, commercially available optical components and an atomic vapor cell, which does not require a biasing magnetic field or any external drive, and only requires that the intensity of the forward beam is higher than that of the backward beam, which is very easy to satisfy in isolator applications. Operating at 795 nm, this device uses the principle of nonlinear non-reciprocity to achieve a bandwidth of 6 GHz and an isolation ratio greater than 30 dB.

Physica Scripta•Jun 2, 2026•0 citations

Noiseless single-photon isolator at room temperature

Shicheng Zhang, Yifan Zhan, Shangqing Gong +1 more

Abstract Nonreciprocal devices, such as isolators, are of great importance for optical communication and optical information processing. To bypass the limitation of a strong magnetic field imposed by the traditional Faraday magneto-optic effect, many alternative mechanisms have been proposed to demonstrate magnetic-free nonreciprocity. However, limited by the drive-induced noise, the noiseless isolator capable of working in the quantum regime has yet to be realized in the experiment. Here, we show a noiseless all-optical isolator with genuine single photons in hot atoms. We experimentally study this mechanism using an open V-type level scheme and demonstrate a low insertion loss of 0.6 dB and high isolation of 30.3 dB with bandwidth up to hundreds of megahertz. Furthermore, the nonreciprocal direction can be truly reversed only by tuning the frequency of the pump laser with the same setup. Our scheme relies on widely used optical technology and is thus universal and robust.

Communications Physics•Feb 7, 2023•14 citations

Magnetic-free unidirectional polarization rotation and free-space optical isolators and circulators

Lifeng Liu, Ying Zhang, Shicheng Zhang +3 more

Optical nonreciprocity is an essential concept in optical signal processing and communication. The traditional way to achieve nonreciprocity is using magneto-optical nonreciprocal polarization rotation, which is incompatible with existing on-chip integration due to the applied magnetic field. Here, we theoretically and experimentally realize unidirectional polarization rotation with a magnetic-free mechanism using atomic ensembles. Free-space isolators and circulators are further formed based on the nonreciprocity of polarization rotation. As only one direction of the signal changes its polarization, the forward transmission and backward isolation can be adjusted separately. Compared with the existing magnetic-free circulators that rely on high-Q factor cavities or Mach–Zehnder interferometers, we experimentally realized circulators in free space. This dramatically simplifies the magnetic-free circulator structure and provides better stability.

Applied Physics Letters•Dec 26, 2022•5 citations

All-optical reversible single-photon isolation at room temperature

Ming‐Xin Dong, Keyu Xia, Weihang Zhang +8 more

Nonreciprocal devices operating at the single-photon level are fundamental elements for quantum technologies. Because magneto-optical nonreciprocal devices are incompatible for magnetic-sensitive or on-chip quantum information processing, all-optical nonreciprocal isolation is highly desired, but its realization at the quantum level is yet to be accomplished at room temperature. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate two regimes, using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) or a Raman transition, for all-optical isolation with warm atoms. We achieve an isolation of 22.52 ± 0.10 dB and an insertion loss of about 1.95 dB for a genuine single photon, with bandwidth up to hundreds of megahertz. The Raman regime realized in the same experimental setup enables us to achieve high isolation and low insertion loss for coherent optical fields with reversed isolation direction. These realizations of single-photon isolation and coherent light isolation at room temperature are promising for simpler reconfiguration of high-speed classical and quantum information processing.

Science Advances•Mar 19, 2021•90 citations

Passive Isolator Based on Electromagnetically Induced Transparent Coupling Resonance in Metamaterials

Xinming Fu

Non-reciprocal optical devices in integrated systems on a chip have attracted great interest due to the increasing demand for researching integrated photonics and silicon photonics. The non-reciprocal devices include optical isolators, circulators, and optical amplifiers. In this paper, We analyze the dynamic nonreciprocity of an optical isolator based on the principle of electromagnetically induced transparency, and show a comparison of the nonreciprocal transmission when waves are transmitted forward and backward. The results show that when energy is transmitted, this isolator can realize signal isolation with specific direction transmission at non-single frequency. This device can be used in a wide range of signal processing and optical communication applications.

International Conference on Communications, Information System and Computer Engineering (CISCE)•May 10, 2024•0 citations

Reversible Optical Isolators and Quasi-Circulators Using a Magneto-Optical Fabry–Pérot Cavity

Tiantian Zhang, Wenpeng Zhou, Zhixiang Li +7 more

Nonreciprocal optical devices are essential for laser protection, modern optical communication and quantum information processing by enforcing one-way light propagation. The conventional Faraday magneto-optical nonreciprocal devices rely on a strong magnetic field, which is provided by a permanent magnet. As a result, the isolation direction of such devices is fixed and severely restricts their applications in quantum networks. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous one-way transmission and unidirectional reflection by using a magneto-optical Fabry–Pérot cavity and a magnetic field strength of 50 mT. An optical isolator and a three-port quasi-circulator are realized based on this nonreciprocal cavity system. The isolator achieves an isolation ratio of up to 22 dB and an averaged insertion loss down to 0.97 dB. The quasi-circulator is realized with a fidelity exceeding 99% and an overall survival probability of 89.9%, corresponding to an insertion loss of ∼0.46 dB. The magnetic field is provided by an electromagnetic coil, thereby allowing for reversing the light circulating path. The reversible quasi-circulator paves the way for building reconfigurable quantum networks.

arXiv:2404.10470•Chinese Physics Letters•Apr 1, 2024•5 citations
Achieving a broadband nonreciprocal device without gain and any external bias is very challenging and highly desirable for modern photonic technologies and quantum networks. Here we theoretically propose a passive and magnetic-free all-optical isolator for a femtosecond laser pulse by exploiting a new mechanism of unidirectional self-induced transparency, obtained with a nonlinear medium followed by a normal absorbing medium at one side. The transmission contrast between the forward and backward directions can reach 14.3 dB for a 2π - 5 fs laser pulse. The 20 dB bandwidth is about 56 nm, already comparable with a magneto-optical isolator. This work provides a new mechanism which may benefit non-magnetic isolation of ultrashort laser pulses.
Abstract Current commercial optical isolators (OIs) primarily rely on the Faraday effect in magneto-optical materials, which necessitates the use of external magnetic fields. Here, we report a passive OI constructed from compact, commercially available optical components and an atomic vapor cell, which does not require a biasing magnetic field or any external drive, and only requires that the intensity of the forward beam is higher than that of the backward beam, which is very easy to satisfy in isolator applications. Operating at 795 nm, this device uses the principle of nonlinear non-reciprocity to achieve a bandwidth of 6 GHz and an isolation ratio greater than 30 dB.
Abstract Nonreciprocal devices, such as isolators, are of great importance for optical communication and optical information processing. To bypass the limitation of a strong magnetic field imposed by the traditional Faraday magneto-optic effect, many alternative mechanisms have been proposed to demonstrate magnetic-free nonreciprocity. However, limited by the drive-induced noise, the noiseless isolator capable of working in the quantum regime has yet to be realized in the experiment. Here, we show a noiseless all-optical isolator with genuine single photons in hot atoms. We experimentally study this mechanism using an open V-type level scheme and demonstrate a low insertion loss of 0.6 dB and high isolation of 30.3 dB with bandwidth up to hundreds of megahertz. Furthermore, the nonreciprocal direction can be truly reversed only by tuning the frequency of the pump laser with the same setup. Our scheme relies on widely used optical technology and is thus universal and robust.
Optical nonreciprocity is an essential concept in optical signal processing and communication. The traditional way to achieve nonreciprocity is using magneto-optical nonreciprocal polarization rotation, which is incompatible with existing on-chip integration due to the applied magnetic field. Here, we theoretically and experimentally realize unidirectional polarization rotation with a magnetic-free mechanism using atomic ensembles. Free-space isolators and circulators are further formed based on the nonreciprocity of polarization rotation. As only one direction of the signal changes its polarization, the forward transmission and backward isolation can be adjusted separately. Compared with the existing magnetic-free circulators that rely on high-Q factor cavities or Mach–Zehnder interferometers, we experimentally realized circulators in free space. This dramatically simplifies the magnetic-free circulator structure and provides better stability.
Nonreciprocal devices operating at the single-photon level are fundamental elements for quantum technologies. Because magneto-optical nonreciprocal devices are incompatible for magnetic-sensitive or on-chip quantum information processing, all-optical nonreciprocal isolation is highly desired, but its realization at the quantum level is yet to be accomplished at room temperature. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate two regimes, using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) or a Raman transition, for all-optical isolation with warm atoms. We achieve an isolation of 22.52 ± 0.10 dB and an insertion loss of about 1.95 dB for a genuine single photon, with bandwidth up to hundreds of megahertz. The Raman regime realized in the same experimental setup enables us to achieve high isolation and low insertion loss for coherent optical fields with reversed isolation direction. These realizations of single-photon isolation and coherent light isolation at room temperature are promising for simpler reconfiguration of high-speed classical and quantum information processing.
Non-reciprocal optical devices in integrated systems on a chip have attracted great interest due to the increasing demand for researching integrated photonics and silicon photonics. The non-reciprocal devices include optical isolators, circulators, and optical amplifiers. In this paper, We analyze the dynamic nonreciprocity of an optical isolator based on the principle of electromagnetically induced transparency, and show a comparison of the nonreciprocal transmission when waves are transmitted forward and backward. The results show that when energy is transmitted, this isolator can realize signal isolation with specific direction transmission at non-single frequency. This device can be used in a wide range of signal processing and optical communication applications.
Nonreciprocal optical devices are essential for laser protection, modern optical communication and quantum information processing by enforcing one-way light propagation. The conventional Faraday magneto-optical nonreciprocal devices rely on a strong magnetic field, which is provided by a permanent magnet. As a result, the isolation direction of such devices is fixed and severely restricts their applications in quantum networks. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous one-way transmission and unidirectional reflection by using a magneto-optical Fabry–Pérot cavity and a magnetic field strength of 50 mT. An optical isolator and a three-port quasi-circulator are realized based on this nonreciprocal cavity system. The isolator achieves an isolation ratio of up to 22 dB and an averaged insertion loss down to 0.97 dB. The quasi-circulator is realized with a fidelity exceeding 99% and an overall survival probability of 89.9%, corresponding to an insertion loss of ∼0.46 dB. The magnetic field is provided by an electromagnetic coil, thereby allowing for reversing the light circulating path. The reversible quasi-circulator paves the way for building reconfigurable quantum networks.