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Optics Letters

Enhancement of nondegenerate four-wave mixing based on electromagnetically induced transparency in rubidium atoms

Yongqing Li, Min Xiao

Published Jul 15, 1996• 262 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report an experimental observation of the enhancement of nondegenerate four-wave mixing (NDFWM) based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a lambda-type three-level system of rubidium atoms. We measured both the linear susceptibility Im chi(D)((1)) (absorption) and the third-order nonlinear coefficient chi(D)((3)) separately for the NDFWM process at a low atomic density. We found that, owing to the EIT effect, the linear absorption term Im chi(D)((1)) is greatly reduced, while the nonlinear generation term chi(D)((3)) is resonantly enhanced, permitting us to observe a significant enhancement of the NDFWM signal in an optically dense medium.

DOI
10.1364/ol.21.001064

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We report an experimental observation of the enhancement of nondegenerate four-wave mixing (NDFWM) based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a lambda-type three-level system of rubidium atoms. We measured both the linear susceptibility Im chi(D)((1)) (absorption) and the third-order nonlinear coefficient chi(D)((3)) separately for the NDFWM process at a low atomic density. We found that, owing to the EIT effect, the linear absorption term Im chi(D)((1)) is greatly reduced, while the nonlinear generation term chi(D)((3)) is resonantly enhanced, permitting us to observe a significant enhancement of the NDFWM signal in an optically dense medium.
The atomic coherence effect can be used in enhancing the efficiencies of nonlinear optical processes. Particularly, nondegenerate four-wave mixing (NDFWM) in multilevel systems has recently gained attention in connection with the advantage of using coherent population trapping (CPT) or electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) to enhance the efficiency of generated signals. Generally speaking, linear absorption competes with the nonlinear signal generation at the exact one-photon resonance condition. However, the linear absorption can, in principle, be reduced or even eliminated by preparing the system in the CPT or EIT state. We report experimental demonstrations of NDFWM in several multi-level configurations in rubidium atomic vapor. In one of the double-/spl Lambda/ systems an unusual behavior of signal output power as a function of pump power, i.e. a maximum in the generated signal power is reached as the pump power increases, is experimentally observed. By comparing with several related /spl Lambda/ and double-/spl Lambda/ systems, we have concluded that CPT is the mechanism for this interesting effect.
Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a four-level atomic system suppresses linear absorption and leads to resonantly enhanced slow-light four-wave mixing at low light intensities. We analyse the backward four-wave mixing in the four-level system under the EIT conditions, derive the four-wave-mixing efficiency and discuss slow-light propagation conditions. We present experimental measurements of resonant four-wave mixing with the backward scheme in cold Rb atoms and compare the experimental results with the theoretical calculations.
Summary form only given. Nonlinear optical properties of an atomic medium can be modified by coherence and quantum interference that utilizes electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Because of the vanishing linear absorption and large enhancement of nonlinearities in an EIT medium, nonlinear optics may be studied at low light levels. We report studies of light absorption and parametric amplification based on the EIT enhanced third-order nonlinearity in a four-level atomic system. We have observed the enhanced nonlinear absorption when two coupling lasers and one probe laser are present. We are in the process of preparing the experiments for the double EIT demonstration and observation of the efficient parametric amplification in the four-level system. Because the experimental system is essentially free of Doppler broadening, quantitative comparisons between the experimental measurements and the theoretical calculations can readily be achieved.
We analyze a four-wave-mixing (FWM) scheme in a five-level atomic system based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). We show that EIT suppresses both two-photon and three-photon absorptions in the FWM scheme and enables the four-wave mixing to proceed through real, resonant intermediate states without absorption loss. The scheme results in a several orders of magnitude increase in the FWM efficiency in comparison with a recent scheme [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 143902 (2002)] and may be used for generating short-wavelength radiation at low pump intensities.
We have measured electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and four wave mixing (FWM) signals in a three level atomic system to enhance nonlinearity for a weak field due to quantum coherence with standing fields. We were able to observe quite different EIT signals according to a traveling or standing coupling field. (1) We obtained EIT and FWM signals depending on detunings, polarization, (2) and power of the coupling field. Our results will be analyzed theoretically in viewpoint of a photonic band gap model.