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Journal of Modern Optics

Dynamic control of EIT by changing optical phase

Vladimir A. Sautenkov, Hebin Li, Yuri V. Rostovtsev, George R. Welch, J.P. Davis, Frank A. Narducci, Marlan O. Scully

Published Nov 10, 2008• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have studied phase dynamics in EIT in a dense rubidium vapor. We have observed a very fast growth of the absorption when the phase of the optical field was abruptly changed, followed by a slow return to the steady state absorption. Then the transmission was slowly restored to stationary magnitude. The recovery time is on the order of the transit time of the atom flying through the laser beam and decreases with increasing optical power. The fast variation of the transparency is proportional to the phase deviation. The obtained result can be used for the fast control of EIT, for example, in an optical switch.

DOI
10.1080/09500340802130779

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We have studied phase dynamics in EIT in a dense rubidium vapor. We have observed a very fast growth of the absorption when the phase of the optical field was abruptly changed, followed by a slow return to the steady state absorption. Then the transmission was slowly restored to stationary magnitude. The recovery time is on the order of the transit time of the atom flying through the laser beam and decreases with increasing optical power. The fast variation of the transparency is proportional to the phase deviation. The obtained result can be used for the fast control of EIT, for example, in an optical switch.
We have studied a time response of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a rubidium vapor to a rapid variation of optical phase. We have observed a very fast growth of the absorption when the phase of the optical field has been abruptly changed, followed by a slow return to the level of steady-state absorption. The recovery time decreases with increasing optical power. A simple theoretical analysis shows that under our experimental conditions the low power limit of the recovery time is determined by the ground relaxation time. In our case it is defined by a time-of-flight of rubidium atoms through laser beam. The obtained value of the ground state relaxation time is in a good agreement with result of direct measurements by ‘relaxation in the dark’ method. Our technique based on phase dynamics in EIT can be used for investigation of the ground state relaxation and the fast control of EIT.
Observation of transient effects in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is reported in Rb85{\mathrm{Rb}}^{85}Rb85 cooled in a magneto-optical trap. The transmission of a weak probe beam in resonance with the 5S1/2(F=3){5S}_{1/2}(F=3)5S1/2​(F=3) to 5P3/2(F=3){5P}_{3/2}(F=3)5P3/2​(F=3) hyperfine transition increased transiently when a relatively strong coupling field in resonance with the 5S1/2(F=2){5S}_{1/2}(F=2)5S1/2​(F=2) to 5P3/2(F=3){5P}_{3/2}(F=3)5P3/2​(F=3) hyperfine transition was switched on rapidly using a Pockels cell. The probe transient showed an initial Rabi half-cycle overshoot before settling down to steady-state EIT. The results agreed well with computations using a three-state model of the \ensuremath{\Lambda} system. The computations also suggest that transient gain should be observed with coupling field power only four times larger than that presently available to us.
The transient dynamics of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) are fundamental to understanding coherent light–atom interactions and the advancement of quantum technologies such as optical switching and quantum memory. However, in room-temperature atomic vapors, Doppler broadening significantly alters these dynamics, yet a comprehensive understanding of its impact on the transient EIT response remains lacking. In this study, we combine analytical and numerical methods to investigate the absorption dynamics of a weak probe field in a three-level Λ-type system driven by a strong coupling field, based on the optical Bloch equations and Laplace transform techniques. Our results show that the transient response is highly sensitive to both the atomic spontaneous emission rate and the Rabi frequency of the coupling field. Increasing the coupling field intensity not only accelerates the approach to steady state but also induces oscillatory dynamics and negative absorption. Under Doppler broadening, the time required to reach steady state increases by approximately three orders of magnitude compared to the Doppler-free case—an effect that is surprisingly insensitive to temperature variations across the 100–400 K range. Moreover, restoring a short steady-state time under broadened conditions necessitates increasing the coupling laser intensity by two orders of magnitude. These findings provide key insights into the influence of Doppler broadening on coherent transient processes and offer practical guidelines for the design of room-temperature atomic devices, including quantum memories and optical modulators.
This thesis investigates the parameters of achieving electromagnetically induced transparency, or EIT. The technique of EIT manipulates the properties of atoms to partially cancel the usual absorption of laser light. In this experiment, the effect was observed using the D1 line of rubidium vapor and a Λ -configuration between the degenerate magnetic sublevels of the 5S1/2(F=1) and 5P1/2(F=1) hyperfine states. Among the parameters investigated were the linear and circular polarization of the light used to drive the transitions, the size of the laser beam used, the effects of the temperature of the rubidium interaction cell on EIT, the density of the rubidium atoms in the interaction cell, and the effects of changing the power of the fields used to drive the transitions. Careful measurements of these parameters were made.
This thesis investigates the result of modulation schemes in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in rubidium vapor. Through the process of EIT, a control beam can be used to change the optical properties of a medium experienced by a probe field, generating a transparency window. The corresponding change in index of refraction results in slowed group velocity while the beam propagates through the medium. Modulation is used to transmit a message signal through a medium. In classical systems, this entails converting data into a radio frequency by adding a message to an electronic or optical carrier signal. The properties of EIT, light-slowing, and their impacts on a probe pulse with modulation will be confirmed through a detailed semi-classical analysis and by experimental observation.