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Applied Optics

Optical Anisotropy Induced by Resonant Absorption or Amplification of Radiation

James D. Macomber

Published Nov 1, 1971• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

When a light beam propagates through an ensemble of two-level quantum systems, the resonant interaction between these systems and the radiation field may be described by a complex susceptibility. Even if the medium is of a type ordinarily considered isotropic, the susceptibility will be a tensor. In this paper, explicit expressions for the elements of this tensor are derived from quantum-statistical mechanics. A physical explanation of the induced anisotropy is given, and the experimental conditions under which it can be neglected are described.

DOI
10.1364/ao.10.002506

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When a light beam propagates through an ensemble of two-level quantum systems, the resonant interaction between these systems and the radiation field may be described by a complex susceptibility. Even if the medium is of a type ordinarily considered isotropic, the susceptibility will be a tensor. In this paper, explicit expressions for the elements of this tensor are derived from quantum-statistical mechanics. A physical explanation of the induced anisotropy is given, and the experimental conditions under which it can be neglected are described.
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In the present work, the possibility of observation of electromagnetically induced transparency in a two level system with the slow light propagation is investigated. The expression for the Rabi frequency is brought out within the rotating wave approximation and thereby it can be employed for the two level system in order to bring out the concepts of electromagnetically induced transparency in a two level system. The linear optical response of an atom with the resonant light in the medium is observed. The linear optical susceptibilities with the controlled field is found. The real part of the optical linearity leads to the refractive index of the medium.
We consider radiative transport in ultracold atomic systems under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency. We calculate the macroscopic susceptibility and scattering tensors of the light and show that essential anisotropic optical properties such as dichroism and birefringence naturally appear. In such a case, light propagation through a spatially nonhomogeneous atomic cloud is considered for an arbitrary direction of the probe light. We determine the polarization properties of the coherently transmitted probe light as well as the polarization dependence of light incoherently scattered in an arbitrary direction. Both the steady state regime and time-dependent case are discussed. Concrete calculations are performed for the case of an inhomogeneous and ultracold sample of 87Rb^{87}\text{R}\text{b}87Rb atoms.
From a macroscopic viewpoint, atomic vapours appear homogeneous and isotropic. As we have seen during the discussion of the microscopic dynamics that light induces in atomic systems, however, the interaction with light as well as external fields can break the rotational and translational symmetries and make the system both inhomogeneous and anisotropic. This microscopic anisotropy appears directly in the optical properties of the system. This chapter discusses the propagation of light in such a medium and describes experiments that analyse the transmitted light to obtain information about the microscopic state of the medium. Isotropic atoms The Lorentz–Lorenz model Outline The interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter, in particular light, has inspired philosophers of nature for many centuries and has led to heated debates like the one between Newton and Goethe. The original interest was with the difference in absorption of various materials as a function of the optical wavelength and with the refraction of light, i.e., its dispersion. The first theoretical analysis that connected these macroscopic effects to microscopic properties of the material was the Lorentz–Lorenz theory of dispersion (Lorentz 1880; Lorenz 1881), which was put forward shortly after the Maxwell equations and published in the year after Maxwell's death. (See Figure 6.1.) This theory models the material as a collection of dipoles, driven by the electromagnetic wave. We give here a brief summary of the theory, since its physical content is still the foundation of today's description although the mathematical formalism has changed significantly.
Experimental data on the amplification of polarized light in optical quantum amplifiers utilizing laserpumped dyes show that, in general, the polarization of the amplified light differs from that of the light being amplified. A theory is put forward whereby this effect is related to the anisotropy of the stimulated emission characteristic of complex organic molecules and is interpreted as a difference between the polarizations of the stimulated emission and stimulating radiation. The complex polarizability tensor is used as the main optical characteristic of complex molecules. The possibility of using the difference between the polarizations of the stimulated emission and stimulating radiation to produce light-amplifying polarizers and optical switches is indicated.