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Physical Review A

Phase-controlled light switching at low light levels

Hoonsoo Kang, Gessler Hernandez, Jiepeng Zhang, Yifu Zhu

Published Jan 9, 2006• 115 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report experimental observations of interference between three-photon and one-photon excitations, and phase control of light attenuation and/or transmission in a four-level system. Either constructive or destructive interferences can be obtained by varying the phase and/or frequency of a weak control laser. The interference enables absorptive switching of one field by another field at different frequencies and ultralow light levels.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.73.011802

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We report an experimental demonstration of all-optical switching at ultralow light levels in coherently prepared Rb atoms. A signal light pulse is switched on and off by a control light pulse at different frequencies in a four-level atomic system based on multiphoton interferences. We observed a switching efficiency of 55% with the signal and control light pulses containing approximately 20 photons each, corresponding to a control energy density of approximately 10(-5) photons per atomic cross section lambda(2)/(2pi).
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Atomic coherence and interference in an atomic medium exhibiting electromagnetically induced transparency may lead to enhancement or suppression of nonlinear susceptibilities. Absorptive photon switching has been observed by constructive quantum interference, which is based on the enhanced third-order, nonlinear absorption in a four-level system. In a different four-level system, suppression of the two-photon absorption by destructive quantum interference has been observed. Experiments were carried out on 87Rb atoms cooled and confined in a magneto-optical trap and the experimental results agree with theoretical calculations of simple four-level model systems.
Summary form only given. It has been shown that two-photon absorption can be controlled by quantum interference in the multiple excitation paths created by a coupling field. Recently, Harris and Yamamoto (1998) described a four-level system that utilizes electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) to switch on and off the two-photon excitation. Because the cancellation of the one-photon excitation, the enhanced two-photon excitation may be observable under very low light intensities. We have carried out an experimental study of two-photon excitation via quantum interference in multi-level Rb atomic systems based on the D/sub 1/ and D/sub 2/ transitions. The Rb systems can be viewed as quasi-four level systems. The experiments were done in an /sup 87/Rb isotope vapor cell.