The evolutional optical behaviours (turn-on dynamics) of a four-level N-configuration atomic system are considered based on the transient solution to the equations of motion of atomic probability amplitudes. It is shown that the quantum interference between the signal and control fields can lead to the controllable absorption and transparency properties of the atomic vapour. One of the most remarkable properties of the present scheme is that the absorption (or transmittance) of the probe light in the atomic vapour depends on the intensity ratio of the signal field to the control field, and thus the tunable optical features (transparency or opaqueness to the probe light) can be realized by tuning the quantum interferences between the signal and control fields. The present mechanism can be applicable to designs of some new photonic and quantum optical devices such as logic and functional devices as well as optical switches. Two typical photonic logic gates (NOT and NOR gates) designed based on the tunable four-level optical responses are presented as illustrative examples.
Abstract We explore the effect of a control field on the optical properties of a probe field in five-level inverted Y-type atom–light coupling schemes. While in the absence of the control field, it is discovered that the system is opaque for the probe field. When the control field is turned on, the medium switches to transparency for the probe field. In addition to analytical solutions, numerical results are given in terms of a Gaussian intensity profile of the probe field to elucidate such optical switching. Considering all orders of the probe field, we also study the absorption features of the atomic medium in a unidirectional ring cavity, giving rise to optical bistability. It is shown that in this model, the OB threshold can be controlled by both the control field intensity as well as probe field detuning.