Simultaneous slow and fast light requires rf field [Opt. Lett. 35, 64 (2010)], which is inconvenient. We suggest that the rf field can be replaced by lights and thus, the phenomena can be realized optically.
A Lambda-type atom coupled by a driving light field and an rf field is restudied. It shows that, owing to Autler-Townes splitting caused by the driving light field and the magnetic dipole transition caused by the rf field, the medium shows distinct characteristics and exhibits the simultaneous slow and fast light at two frequencies. This effect can be attained by simply increasing the magnetic field and making its Rabi frequency much stronger than the probe light. Also, slow and fast light can be converted flexibly between two frequencies by phase control of the rf field.
Tunable slow and fast light generation in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) Fano resonator is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The slow and fast light generation with symmetric and asymmetric coupling conditions of the Fano resonator is theoretically analyzed. Under a slightly imbalanced coupling condition, the two output ports of the Fano resonator could produce a fast light and a slow light, respectively. By utilizing the thermo-optic (TO) effect to change the phase difference of the two optical beams coupled into the resonator, the transition of fast and slow light can be realized at the fixed resonance wavelength. Experimental results show that a slow-to-fast transition (group delay from 0.852 to -1.057 ns) at one resonance wavelength, and a fast-to-slow transition (group delay from -0.22 to 0.867 ns) at another resonance wavelength are realized simultaneously by controlling the microheater to tune the phase difference.