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arXiv:2301.13300 · Optics Letters

Strong reverse saturation and fast-light in ruby

Akbar Safari, Cara Selvarajah, Jenine Evans, Jeremy Upham, Robert W. Boyd

Published Nov 6, 2024• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Reverse saturation of absorption is a relatively rare phenomenon in light–matter interaction, as it requires a few conditions to be fulfilled. We observe that ruby exhibits a very strong reverse saturation of absorption at 473 nm. Furthermore, we measure the group velocity of a modulated laser beam in ruby and observe that the peaks of the pulses appear more than a hundred microseconds earlier than the reference signal. A theoretical model based on coherent population oscillation would suggest a fast-light effect with an extremely large and negative group index of −(1.7 ± 0.1) × 10 6 in consistency with the observed temporal advancement. We propose that this pulse advancement can also be described by time-dependent absorption of ruby. Our study helps to understand the nature of the fast- and slow-light effects in transition-metal-doped crystals such as ruby and alexandrite with potential applications in optical memories and delay lines.

DOI
10.1364/ol.535094

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Reverse saturation of absorption is a relatively rare phenomenon in light–matter interaction, as it requires a few conditions to be fulfilled. We observe that ruby exhibits a very strong reverse saturation of absorption at 473 nm. Furthermore, we measure the group velocity of a modulated laser beam in ruby and observe that the peaks of the pulses appear more than a hundred microseconds earlier than the reference signal. A theoretical model based on coherent population oscillation would suggest a fast-light effect with an extremely large and negative group index of −(1.7 ± 0.1) × 10 6 in consistency with the observed temporal advancement. We propose that this pulse advancement can also be described by time-dependent absorption of ruby. Our study helps to understand the nature of the fast- and slow-light effects in transition-metal-doped crystals such as ruby and alexandrite with potential applications in optical memories and delay lines.
Quantitative analysis of slow light experiments utilising coherent population oscillation (CPO) in a range of saturably absorbing media, including ruby and alexandrite, Er 3+ :Y 2 SiO 5 , bacteriorhodopsin, semiconductor quantum devices and erbium-doped optical fibres, shows that the observations may be more simply interpreted as saturable absorption phenomena. A basic two-level model of a saturable absorber displays all the effects normally associated with slow light, namely phase shift and modulation gain of the transmitted signal, hole burning in the modulation frequency spectrum and power broadening of the spectral hole, each arising from the finite response time of the non-linear absorption. Only where hole-burning in the optical spectrum is observed (using independent pump and probe beams), or pulse delays exceeding the limits set by saturable absorption are obtained, can reasonable confidence be placed in the observation of slow light in such experiments. Superluminal (“fast light”) phenomena in media with reverse saturable absorption (RSA) may be similarly explained.
We have observed slow light propagation with a group velocity as low as 57.5+/-0.5 m/s at room temperature in a ruby crystal. A quantum coherence effect, coherent population oscillations, produces a very narrow spectral "hole" in the homogeneously broadened absorption profile of ruby. The resulting rapid spectral variation of the refractive index leads to a large value of the group index. We observe slow light propagation both for Gaussian-shaped light pulses and for amplitude modulated optical beams in a system that is much simpler than those previously used for generating slow light.
Quantitative analysis of slow light experiments utilising coherent population oscillation (CPO) in a range of saturably absorbing media, including ruby and alexandrite, Er3+:Y2SiO5, bacteriorhodopsin, semi-conductor quantum devices and erbium doped optical fibres, shows that the observations may be more simply interpreted as saturable absorption phenomena. A basic two-level model of a saturable absorber displays all the effects normally associated with slow light, namely phase shift and modulation gain of the transmitted signal, hole burning in the modulation frequency spectrum and power broadening of the spectral hole, arising from the finite response time of the non-linear absorption. Only where hole-burning in the optical spectrum is observed (using independent pump and probe beams), or pulse delays exceeding the limits set by saturable absorption are obtained, can reasonable confidence be placed in the observation of slow light in such experiments. Superluminal ('fast light') phenomena in media with reverse saturable absorption (RSA) may be similarly explained.
Studies about light propagation have been undertaken for more than a century. It is now well established that any material that has normal or anomalous dispersion generates slow or fast light. In this paper, we demonstrate an experimental technique to rapidly switch between slow and fast light in ruby. The experiment utilizes transient holeburning to create drastic variation in refractive index of ruby to produce slow as well as fast light. Transient hole-burning involves the depletion of the ground state leading to a highly populated excited state by single frequency laser excitation. This leads to a hole in the absorption spectrum when readout by a laser. We observed a delay of 29 ns and advancement of -11 ns in an external magnetic field of B║c = 12 mT corresponding to a group velocity of c/961 and negative group velocity of –c/365 respectively.
We have observed slow light propagation with a group velocity as slow as 27.52±0.05m/s in a ruby crystal at room temperature. The Gaussian-like pulse signal, which was gained by modulating beam at 514.5nm, was injected into a ruby crystal. The spectral hole effect, attributed to high laser power density, leads to the induced refractive index steep rising. According as this rising, the group velocity of pulse propagation in the ruby becomes very slowly. The experiment result shows that the velocity of pulse propagation depends on the modulation frequency, laser power, the position of crystal and the profile of signal waveform. At the same condition the Gaussian-like pulse obtains much slower velocity than sinusoidal signal.