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Physical Review A

Collision-aided Faraday effect in sodium vapor

M. Pinard, Philippe Verkerk, E. Giacobino, G. Grynberg

Published Apr 1, 1987• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have observed a collisionally induced rotation of the polarization of a linearly polarized probe beam interacting with a nonresonant circularly polarized pump beam in sodium vapor. We interpret this Faraday effect of a new kind both by a nonlinear-susceptibility calculation and by an optical-pumping calculation, and we show the close connection between the two approaches.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.35.2951

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Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference•May 12, 1991•0 citations
We have observed a collisionally induced rotation of the polarization of a linearly polarized probe beam interacting with a nonresonant circularly polarized pump beam in sodium vapor. We interpret this Faraday effect of a new kind both by a nonlinear-susceptibility calculation and by an optical-pumping calculation, and we show the close connection between the two approaches.
Polarization rotation effects in atomic sodium vapor are studied both experimentally and theoretically. Two pulsed dye laser beams propagate collinearly through a cell containing sodium vapor. The direction of polarization of a linearly polarized dye laser beam of frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}$ is found to be rotated by a circularly polarized beam of frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{2}$. This rotation is due to the difference in refractive index at ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}$ for right and left circularly polarized light which is produced by the circularly polarized beam. When ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{1}+{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{2}$ is tuned near the $3S\ensuremath{-}5S$ two-photon transition of atomic sodium, this difference is primarily due to the dispersion associated with the two-photon transition. Other sources of polarization rotation which were identified include (i) real transfers of population to excited atomic levels due to collisionally induced transitions and (ii) optically induced atomic energy-level shifts. The theory includes both the effects of two-photon dispersion and optically induced energy shifts. The application of the two-photon polarization rotation effect as a fast, optically controlled shutter or modulator and as a sensitive detection technique for two-photon spectroscopy are briefly discussed.
Two intersecting laser beams of orthogonal circular polarization near resonant to the homogeneously broadened D1 transition of Na vapor were observed to deflect each other upon contact. The experimental results are in good agreement with calculations based on a model which includes diffraction and a local nonlinear atomic susceptibility wihch fully takes into account saturation and optical pumping effects. The contact deflection (or ``bouncing'') was also observed when both beams were tuned to the atomic resonance frequency.
A polarization-rotation effect is demonstrated which utilizes the dispersion associated with $3S\ensuremath{-}5S$ two-photon transitions in sodium vapor. A linearly polarized beam at ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{1}$ is rotated by a circularly polarized beam at ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{2}$ when ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{1}+{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{2}$ is near the two-photon transition frequency. When combined with a polarizer a rapid optical shutter is obtained.
The polarization rotation of a linearly polarized optical (probe) field caused by a left-circularly polarized pumping beam is studied in an opened two-level system of a 87 Rb atom. Letting a linearly polarized optical field (probe) and left-circularly polarized pumping beams co-propagate through a Rb vapor, we observe the featurable polarization rotation signals of the linearly polarized probe field via the asymmetric optical pumping with low intensities. Based on this phenomenon, a polarization-controlled light switching can be demonstrated at a low light level. Such a scheme of polarization rotation can be extended in a solid or semi-conduct material and find a practical application in all-optical information processing.
A circularly polarized laser beam propagating through sodium vapor is shown to be deflected by the inhomogeneous magnetic field from a nearby electric current-carrying thin wire aligned parallel to the beam. The effect arises from the refractive index gradient induced by magnetic-field-modified optical pumping. The experimentally observed beam deflection is in good agreement with predictions from a $J\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1/2\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}J\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1/2$ model for the full four-dimensional spatialtemporal evolution of the interaction between radiation field and atoms. The time of order 100 ns needed for the beam to switch between undeflected and deflected positions is determined by the average Larmor precession period and is 2 orders of magnitude shorter than the optical pumping time.
We show that for a broad range of intensities the polarization ellipse of a laser beam can undergo rotation while propagating through an atomic vapor. The ellipse rotation is predicted to occur for the case in which the field is tuned near a J = 1/2 to J-1/2 transition of the atomic vapor and the input intensity is sufficiently strong to saturate the ground-state optical pumping but not the transition itself. Under these conditions, the ellipse rotation is independent of the laser intensity and, hence, is unlike the ellipse rotation predicted and observed by Maker and Terhune1 for a tensor nonlinear susceptibility.