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Optics Letters

Low-light-level photon switching by quantum interference

Yong-Fan Chen, Zen-Hsiang Tsai, Yuchen Liu, Ite A. Yu

Published Dec 1, 2005• 75 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report an experimental demonstration of low-light-level photon switching by quantum interference in laser-cooled 87Rb atoms. A resonant probe pulse with an energy per unit area of one photon per lambda2/2pi propagates through the optically thick atoms. Its energy transmittance is greater than 63%, or a loss of less than e(-1), because of the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency. In the presence of a switching pulse with an energy per unit area of 1.4 photons per lambda2/2pi, the energy transmittance of the same probe pulse becomes less than 37%, or e(-1). This substantial reduction of probe transmittance caused by switching photons may lead to potential applications in single-photon-level nonlinear optics and manipulation of quantum information.

DOI
10.1364/ol.30.003207

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We report an experimental demonstration of low-light-level photon switching by quantum interference in laser-cooled 87Rb atoms. A resonant probe pulse with an energy per unit area of one photon per lambda2/2pi propagates through the optically thick atoms. Its energy transmittance is greater than 63%, or a loss of less than e(-1), because of the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency. In the presence of a switching pulse with an energy per unit area of 1.4 photons per lambda2/2pi, the energy transmittance of the same probe pulse becomes less than 37%, or e(-1). This substantial reduction of probe transmittance caused by switching photons may lead to potential applications in single-photon-level nonlinear optics and manipulation of quantum information.
We report an experimental demonstration of single-photon switching in laser-cooled 87^{87}87Rb atoms. A resonant probe pulse with an energy per unit area of one photon per λ2/2πλ^2/2πλ2/2π propagates through the optically thick atoms. Its energy transmittance is greater than 63% or loss is less than e−1e^{-1}e−1 due to the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency. In the presence of a switching pulse with an energy per unit area of 1.4 photons per λ2/2πλ^2/2πλ2/2π, the energy transmittance of the same probe pulse becomes less than 37% or e−1e^{-1}e−1. This substantial reduction of the probe transmittance caused by single switching photons has potential applications in single-photon-level nonlinear optics and the manipulation of quantum information.
Electromagnetically induced transparency in an optically thick, cold medium creates a unique system where pulse-propagation velocities may be orders of magnitude less than c and optical nonlinearities become exceedingly large. As a result, nonlinear processes may be efficient at low-light levels. Using an atomic system with three, independent channels, we demonstrate a quantum interference switch where a laser pulse with an energy per area of $\ensuremath{\sim}23$ photons per ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}^{2}/(2\ensuremath{\pi})$ causes a 1/e1/e1/e absorption of a second pulse.
We propose an all-optical switch that utilizes the technique of storage and retrieval of light pulses. A single photon (probe pulse) switched by another (switching pulse) is feasible, and the on-off ratio can be as large as 10 dB. We have experimentally demonstrated that the energy of the retrieved probe pulse is reduced to about 10% because of the presence of a switching pulse with an energy per unit area of one photon per lambda(2)/(2pi). The achieved result does not depend on the coupling intensity, the atomic optical density, or the width and shape of the switching pulse.
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).
Summary form only given. A coupling laser can create electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in an absorbing medium such that linear absorption of a weak probe laser at the line center is suppressed by quantum interference. The quantum interference may be modified by adding a pump laser coupled to a separate state, which leads to enhanced third-order nonlinearities in the atomic system. Large nonlinear probe absorption at the EIT center is controlled by the pump laser and may be used to realize absorptive photon switching as proposed by Harris and Yamamoto. We report an experimental study of enhanced third-order nonlinear absorption and absorptive photon switching in /sup 87/Rb atoms cooled and confined in a magneto-optical trap.
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.