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Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A

Nonlinear Behavior of Circularly Polarized Laser Beams Propagating through Sodium Vapor

B. Röhricht, Patrik Eschle, S. Dangel, R. Holzner

Published Jun 1, 1993• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract A variety of surprising effects arise from the nonlinear light-matter interaction of circularly polarized laser light propagating through sodium vapor. We present experimental evidence for an asymmetry in the absorption of left hand and right hand circularly polarized light as well as for the creation of a collimated light beam of apposite polarization within the light-matter interaction region. Both effects are not yet explained by common theories.

DOI
10.1515/zna-1993-5-602

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Abstract A variety of surprising effects arise from the nonlinear light-matter interaction of circularly polarized laser light propagating through sodium vapor. We present experimental evidence for an asymmetry in the absorption of left hand and right hand circularly polarized light as well as for the creation of a collimated light beam of apposite polarization within the light-matter interaction region. Both effects are not yet explained by common theories.
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The absorption profiles of left-hand and right-hand circularly polarized laser light propagating through sodium vapor are asymmetric and considerably frequency shifted if small static magnetic fields are present. Using an analytical model we show how optical pumping ``enhances'' the laser-induced light shift from the kilohertz to the gigahertz range. We compare the analytical results with experimental data obtained from the homogeneously broadened Na D1{\mathit{D}}_{1}D1​ transition.
Circularly polarized laser beams propagating through sodium vapor and tuned to the buffer gas broadened atomic D1 transition can optically pump sodium atoms into a nonabsorbing groundstate. The corresponding groundstate populations depend on the intensity distribution, the polarization and the magnetic fields. They lead to refractive index gradients along as well as transverse to the laser beam propagation direction and therefore modify the light path giving rise to a number of nonlinear spatiotemporal intensity and polarization pattern creating processes.
We describe a sensitive technique for observing small transverse modifications to intensity, phase, and polarization arising in nonlinear propagation of a laser beam through an atomic vapor. The technique, which in essence is an interferometric one, is based on the use of crossed polarizers that are nearly but not exactly pure circular. Illustrative results are presented for cw dye-laser radiation propagating through collisionally broadened atomic sodium that is near resonant to the D1 line. Well-defined ring patterns produced by nonlinear interactions are observed at both positive and negative laser detunings.
The interaction of left- and right-hand circularly polarized narrow-band cw laser beams that copropagate through sodium vapor and are tuned to the homogeneously broadened D1 transition can lead to the mutual extinction of both beams. Such beam switching is caused by an intensity- and polarization-dependent refractive index due to optical pumping even at low intensities. The dynamics of beam switching is investigated experimentally and explained qualitatively by the conventional J = 1/2 to J = 1/2 transition model. The accurate quantitative description, however, is only achieved by an extended model comprising hyperfine ground states in spite of homogeneous line broadening by argon buffer gas, which is larger than the hyperfine splitting.