Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics
Vortex-beam-induced lensing of off-resonance probe beam in Rb vapor
Andrew G. Truscott, M. E. J. Friese, Halina H. Rubinsztein-Dunlop, N. R. Heckenberg
Abstract
Summary form only given.We investigate nonlinear optical effects in an atomic gas with a LG/sub 03/ donut beam. The LG/sub 03/ donut beam was produced with a Ti:sapphire laser using a computer-generated hologram. The nonlinear medium was Rb atomic vapor in a cylindrical Pyrex cell 10 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter, heated to approximately 120 C. The power of the donut beam at the cell window was 450 mW. By tuning the laser frequency close to the Rb atomic D/sub 2/ line at 780.1 nm, we obtained resonant enhancement of the nonlinearity. As the laser frequency was tuned through the Rb D/sub 2/ line, we could monitor self-focusing and defocusing on either side of the atomic transition.