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Science

Researchers Build Novel Laser By Putting a Lock on Atoms

Gary Taubes

Published Nov 3, 1995• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A golden rule of laser technology is that a majority of the atoms in the lasing medium must be in the excited, light-emitting state. But two teams of physicists have managed to break this rule: They have obtained light from just a few excited atoms by preventing the others from absorbing photons. The trick was to use a second laser to alter the atomic energy levels, creating two different paths by which the atoms could absorb the light. The paths competed, and absorption was stymied. See sidebar (p. 738).

DOI
10.1126/science.270.5237.737

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A golden rule of laser technology is that a majority of the atoms in the lasing medium must be in the excited, light-emitting state. But two teams of physicists have managed to break this rule: They have obtained light from just a few excited atoms by preventing the others from absorbing photons. The trick was to use a second laser to alter the atomic energy levels, creating two different paths by which the atoms could absorb the light. The paths competed, and absorption was stymied. See sidebar (p. 738).
Two different research teams have taken a big step toward atom interferometry. They have succeeded in splitting atomic beams by using atoms in spin states that neither absorb nor reemit laser light. By proper adjustment of experimental conditions, atoms are changed from one spin state to another, without passing through the intermediary excited state. The atoms in essence absorb momentum from the laser photons, without absorption or emission of photons. The change in momentum deflects atoms in the proper spin state.
Absorption and emission are two of the most fundamental processes in optics. Fluorescent lights, lasers and all forms of spectroscopy are based on a thorough understanding of these two processes. In recent years, however, a new generation of experiments has been pioneered in which samples that are expected to absorb radiation do not, and samples that are not expected to lase might soon do so. These new phenomena are based on the exploitation of quantum interference within atoms, and challenge much of the conventional wisdom of quantum electronics.
An experimental investigation was made of the spectral and energy characteristics of the radiation emitted by a dye laser with a ring resonator containing an absorbing medium (potassium vapor) in which an anisotropy was induced by a strong external optical wave. Narrowing of the dye output radiation to about 10???2 nm and locking of the emission spectrum to one- and two-photon absorption lines of the potassium vapor were observed. An investigation was made of the locking efficiency for different polarizations of the strong wave.