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Journal of Modern Optics

Space–time control of nuclear γ-ray superradiance

Bernhard W. Adams

Published Sep 29, 2011• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Nuclear resonant γ-ray absorption has important practical applications through Mössbauer spectroscopy. At synchrotron-radiation facilities, it is most often used in the time domain, i.e. analysis of the temporal patterns after pulsed excitation. In this context, superradiant speedup and directional re-emission are observed. This text proposes ways to manipulate the superradiant emission in energy/time and momentum/space by introducing controlled dynamic-phase shifts using, for example, static or pulsed magnetic fields. Possible applications are discussed, in particular a solution to the prompt-pulse problem, i.e. the massive overload of detectors by the synchrotron-radiation pulses.

DOI
10.1080/09500340.2011.615953

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Nuclear resonant γ-ray absorption has important practical applications through Mössbauer spectroscopy. At synchrotron-radiation facilities, it is most often used in the time domain, i.e. analysis of the temporal patterns after pulsed excitation. In this context, superradiant speedup and directional re-emission are observed. This text proposes ways to manipulate the superradiant emission in energy/time and momentum/space by introducing controlled dynamic-phase shifts using, for example, static or pulsed magnetic fields. Possible applications are discussed, in particular a solution to the prompt-pulse problem, i.e. the massive overload of detectors by the synchrotron-radiation pulses.
The electromagnetic transitions of Mössbauer nuclei provide ideal two-level systems to study the cooperative effects of X-rays with matter. Recently, we have observed the collective Lamb shift (CLS) in nuclear γ-ray superradiance [Röhlsberger, R.; Schlage, K.; Sahoo, B.; Couet, S.; Rüffer, R. Science 2010, 328, 1248–1251]. An ensemble of resonant 57Fe nuclei was embedded in the center of a planar cavity and was collectively excited by synchrotron radiation into a purely superradiant state. The decay of the superradiant state can be almost two orders of magnitude faster than the single-atom nuclear decay and can be accompanied by a CLS of more than 10 times the natural linewidth. Here we review the basic features of cooperative effects that occur in nuclear γ-ray superradiance in comparison with similar effects observed in the optical regime of the electromagnetic spectrum. We show that nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation opens new ways for systematic studies of cooperative effects in the interaction of X-rays with matter.
The collective nature of light interactions with atomic and nuclear ensembles yields the fascinating phenomena of superradiance and radiation trapping. We study the interaction of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays with a coherently vibrating periodic array of two-level nuclei. Such nuclear motion can be generated, e.g., in ionic crystals illuminated by a strong driving optical laser field. We find that deflection of the incident $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ beam into the Bragg angle can be switched on and off by nuclear vibrations on a superradiant time scale determined by the collective nuclear frequency ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{a}$, which is of the order of terahertz. Namely, if the incident $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ wave is detuned from the nuclear transition by frequency $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\gg}{\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{a}$ it passes through the static nuclear array. However, if the nuclei vibrate with frequency $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ then parametric resonance can yield energy transfer into the Bragg deflected beam on the superradiant time scale, which can be used for fast control of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays.
We study propagation of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ radiation from a M\"ossbauer radioactive source through a vibrating recoilless resonant absorber and find the optimal conditions to produce a periodic train of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray pulses with maximum peak intensity, several times higher than the intensity from the source, and minimum duration, much shorter than the lifetime of the emitting nuclear state of the source. The shape, duration, and repetition rate of the pulses are tunable in a wide range. We propose modifications of the recently reported experiment [F. Vagizov et al., Nature (London) 508, 80 (2014)] to produce pulses with higher peak intensity and shorter duration using absorbers enriched by the resonant nuclei and discuss possible applications of the generated pulses for the time-domain M\"ossbauer spectroscopy.
The temporal dynamics of stimulated emission is studied, with particular emphasis on stimulated emission induced by x-ray pulses interacting with nuclei. In typical nuclear forward scattering experiments, the short incident x-ray pulse is accompanied by a huge number of off-resonant background photons. This prompts the question of whether stimulated emission can be observed in the delayed nuclear scattering signal which is emitted after the incident pulse has passed. We find that the stimulated photons essentially overlap with the stimulating pulse. To overcome this problem, we identify the reduction of the delayed scattered light intensity as an alternative signature for the stimulated emission. We further study a phase-sensitive variant of stimulated emission in the low-excitation regime, which provides convenient control parameters to facilitate the detection. Finally, we analyze the possibility of observing stimulated emission in nuclei driven by free electron lasers or synchrotron radiation sources.
Coherent control of light and its interactions with matter is a key aspect of quantum optics. Nuclear resonant interactions enable coherent manipulation of photons at X-ray and γ -ray energies. One promising approach to manipulating γ -photons emitted by radioactive sources exploits ultrasonically vibrating nuclear resonant absorbers. However, previous studies have focused on unpolarized γ -radiation interacting with isotropic resonant media without exploiting polarization effects. Here, we demonstrate simultaneous temporal control of the waveform and polarization state of γ -photons by combining ultrasonic vibrations of magnetically ordered resonant absorbers with anisotropy in nuclear resonant scattering. This method allows interlinking phase differences of individual resonant interaction paths with their polarization dependence. A particular consequence is the possibility to form double-pulse γ -radiation sequences with tunable time-dependent polarization states. Using the reported method, coherent control of γ -photons can be expanded to polarization-based experiments and related applications in quantum optics can be further explored using a tabletop γ -optical setup.