Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Quantum Electronics

Selective reflection of obliquely incident polarised light

Ya. A. Fofanov

Published Jun 30, 2009• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A series of reflection resonances formed by the hyperfine components of the D 2 -lines in the spectrum of the natural mixture of rubidium isotopes is studied. Passages from resonantly frustrated total internal reflection to resonance Brewster reflection caused by the frequency tuning of the incident light are demonstrated experimentally. The contrast of the strongest refection resonances exceeds 500% at the moderate heating of reflecting cells. The intensity of the reflected light changes in this case by more than 20 times. A theory is developed which is based on a two-level model for resonance atoms and Fresnel formulas for reflection coefficients. Numerical calculations based on the proposed theory confirm main experimental results.

DOI
10.1070/qe2009v039n06abeh013773

Related papers

Selective reflection from a glass–gas interface at high angles of incidence of light

A. M. Akulshin, V. L. Velichanskiǐ, A. I. Zherdev +5 more

Resonance lines of rubidium and cesium and injection lasers were used in a study of selective reflection from an interface between a transparent dielectric and an absorbing gas as a function of the angle of incidence of radiation and of its polarization, and of the concentration of atoms in a cell. Selective reflection resonances were observed against zero background when radiation was incident on the cell at the Brewster angle. The conditions for observation of selective frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) were determined analytically and experimentally. The maximum reflection coefficient obtained was 95 ± 2%, which was 10 times greater than the nonresonant reflection coefficient. The spectral width of the region where FTIR was observed ranged from 0.1 to 1.5 cm − 1, depending on the concentration of atoms and the angle of incidence. The FTIR eifect was used to construct a selective component which made it possible to ensure narrow-band cw operation of an injection laser with an external resonator. Other potential applications of the FTIR effect in quantum electronics were also considered.

Soviet Journal of Quantum Electronics•Mar 31, 1989•13 citations

New nonlinear phenomena under conditions of strong selective reflection

Ya. A. Fofanov

This work is devoted to study of the strong selective reflection of obliquely incident laser beam (inclined geometry) from the interface "glass-rubidium vapour". It is shown that the contrast of the strongest refection resonances exceeds 500% at the moderate heating of reflecting cells. The new nonlinear properties of selective reflection resonances have been investigated - asymmetry of saturation of resonant total internal reflection (TIR) and nonlinear structures that appear under conditions close to resonant TIR. The observed structures can not be associated with well-known sub-Doppler resonances in selective reflection. The nonlinear structures described here do not have saturation properties in usual sense. They exist only in the inclined geometry and in a narrow range of saturating values of the surface power density at the interface. The transformation of the fluctuations of reflected light was also investigated at the optical saturation of selective reflection resonances. For this purpose the intensity of incident light was slightly modulated. The reduction of the corresponding intensity modulation was registered in the reflected light. This reduction of the intensity fluctuations ("classical squeezing") and the relatively high selective reflection coefficient offer good possibilities for the squeezing of quantum fluctuations in the reflected light. In the process of appropriate studies it was found that the reduction (squeezing) of photons (quantum) fluctuations in the reflected light beam is about of 5% in compare with the coherent light.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Sep 10, 2010•6 citations

Strong resonance reflection of polarized light from an alkali vapor

Ya. A. Fofanov, A. A. Rodichkina

Resonance reflection of light from the interface between a dielectric and an alkali vapor is studied. Two cases are considered in which a laser light beam is polarized either parallel or perpendicular to the plane of incidence. Upon scanning of the frequency of the incident laser radiation, in the first case, the reflection conditions vary from approximately the conditions of Brewster reflection to the conditions characteristics of total internal reflection. In the second case, the Brewster reflection conditions are not realized, and the variations in the intensity of the reflected light observed upon frequency scanning are smaller. The rotation of the plane of polarization and the laser frequency tuning make it possible to rapidly switch between these reflection conditions.

Optics and Spectroscopy•Aug 1, 2007•1 citation

Optical Saturation of Strong Selective Reflection

Yakov A. Fofanov

Nonlinear selective reflection of obliquely incident laser beam (inclined geometry) has been investigated. The new structures were detected on the tops of strong reflection resonances under conditions of optical saturation of the D2-lines in the natural mixture of rubidium isotopes. The detected nonlinear structures have not saturation properties in usual sense and exist only in the close area of saturating power density values. This phenomenon can be useful for the amplification the nonlinear characteristics of the optical interface in order to reduce the fluctuations of selective reflected light.

Universal Journal of Physics and Application•Dec 1, 2013•0 citations

Polarium model: Reflection and transmission of coherent radiation

Roy J. Glauber, Sudhakar Prasad

The coherent, radiative excitation modes of a resonant medium lend a resonant character to the amplitudes for reflection and transmission of light. For a plane wave incident upon a slab-shaped medium of two-level atoms, the reflection and transmission coefficients exhibit sharp peaks and dips as a function of the detuning of the wave from the central atomic resonance frequency. The locations and widths of these resonant features for a normally incident plane wave correspond to the imaginary and real parts, respectively, of the radiative decay constants of the coherent excitation modes of the medium discussed in the preceding paper [Phys. Rev. A 61, 063814 (2000)]. For the case of oblique incidence, generalizations of the modes discussed in the preceding paper are required. The richly detailed, resonant frequency dependence of the reflected and transmitted intensities is shown to depend significantly on the angle of incidence and the polarization of the incident light.

Physical Review A•May 17, 2000•14 citations

Coherent Resonances in a Dipole-Broadened Contour of Selective Reflection from the Transparent Insulator–Atomic Rubidium Vapor Interface

Vladimir A. Sautenkov, Sergey A. Saakyan, Andrey A. Bobrov +2 more

Abstract Coherent narrow resonances in a homogeneously broadened contour of selective reflection from the interface between a cell window and high-density atomic rubidium vapor, where the dipole broadening greatly exceeds the Doppler width of the unresolved components of rubidium D2 line, are discussed. The formation of coherent resonances is caused by the coherent scattering of probe and pump optical fields from the oscillations of populations of the ground and excited states of atoms at the beat frequency. The width of each resonance depends on the population difference decay rate. Within a simple model conditions are found for observing resonances with a Lorentzian spectral profile. The experimentally recorded coherent resonances are described by a Lorentz function with fitting parameters in the form of amplitude, width, and spectral baseline. In the limit of zero optical saturation the measured half-width of a coherent resonance (HWHM) γres/2π is about 52 MHz, which greatly exceeds the radiative decay rate of the rubidium excited state 5P3/2.

Bulletin of the Lebedev Physics Institute•Oct 1, 2023•7 citations
A series of reflection resonances formed by the hyperfine components of the D 2 -lines in the spectrum of the natural mixture of rubidium isotopes is studied. Passages from resonantly frustrated total internal reflection to resonance Brewster reflection caused by the frequency tuning of the incident light are demonstrated experimentally. The contrast of the strongest refection resonances exceeds 500% at the moderate heating of reflecting cells. The intensity of the reflected light changes in this case by more than 20 times. A theory is developed which is based on a two-level model for resonance atoms and Fresnel formulas for reflection coefficients. Numerical calculations based on the proposed theory confirm main experimental results.
Resonance lines of rubidium and cesium and injection lasers were used in a study of selective reflection from an interface between a transparent dielectric and an absorbing gas as a function of the angle of incidence of radiation and of its polarization, and of the concentration of atoms in a cell. Selective reflection resonances were observed against zero background when radiation was incident on the cell at the Brewster angle. The conditions for observation of selective frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) were determined analytically and experimentally. The maximum reflection coefficient obtained was 95 ± 2%, which was 10 times greater than the nonresonant reflection coefficient. The spectral width of the region where FTIR was observed ranged from 0.1 to 1.5 cm − 1, depending on the concentration of atoms and the angle of incidence. The FTIR eifect was used to construct a selective component which made it possible to ensure narrow-band cw operation of an injection laser with an external resonator. Other potential applications of the FTIR effect in quantum electronics were also considered.
This work is devoted to study of the strong selective reflection of obliquely incident laser beam (inclined geometry) from the interface "glass-rubidium vapour". It is shown that the contrast of the strongest refection resonances exceeds 500% at the moderate heating of reflecting cells. The new nonlinear properties of selective reflection resonances have been investigated - asymmetry of saturation of resonant total internal reflection (TIR) and nonlinear structures that appear under conditions close to resonant TIR. The observed structures can not be associated with well-known sub-Doppler resonances in selective reflection. The nonlinear structures described here do not have saturation properties in usual sense. They exist only in the inclined geometry and in a narrow range of saturating values of the surface power density at the interface. The transformation of the fluctuations of reflected light was also investigated at the optical saturation of selective reflection resonances. For this purpose the intensity of incident light was slightly modulated. The reduction of the corresponding intensity modulation was registered in the reflected light. This reduction of the intensity fluctuations ("classical squeezing") and the relatively high selective reflection coefficient offer good possibilities for the squeezing of quantum fluctuations in the reflected light. In the process of appropriate studies it was found that the reduction (squeezing) of photons (quantum) fluctuations in the reflected light beam is about of 5% in compare with the coherent light.
Resonance reflection of light from the interface between a dielectric and an alkali vapor is studied. Two cases are considered in which a laser light beam is polarized either parallel or perpendicular to the plane of incidence. Upon scanning of the frequency of the incident laser radiation, in the first case, the reflection conditions vary from approximately the conditions of Brewster reflection to the conditions characteristics of total internal reflection. In the second case, the Brewster reflection conditions are not realized, and the variations in the intensity of the reflected light observed upon frequency scanning are smaller. The rotation of the plane of polarization and the laser frequency tuning make it possible to rapidly switch between these reflection conditions.
Nonlinear selective reflection of obliquely incident laser beam (inclined geometry) has been investigated. The new structures were detected on the tops of strong reflection resonances under conditions of optical saturation of the D2-lines in the natural mixture of rubidium isotopes. The detected nonlinear structures have not saturation properties in usual sense and exist only in the close area of saturating power density values. This phenomenon can be useful for the amplification the nonlinear characteristics of the optical interface in order to reduce the fluctuations of selective reflected light.
The coherent, radiative excitation modes of a resonant medium lend a resonant character to the amplitudes for reflection and transmission of light. For a plane wave incident upon a slab-shaped medium of two-level atoms, the reflection and transmission coefficients exhibit sharp peaks and dips as a function of the detuning of the wave from the central atomic resonance frequency. The locations and widths of these resonant features for a normally incident plane wave correspond to the imaginary and real parts, respectively, of the radiative decay constants of the coherent excitation modes of the medium discussed in the preceding paper [Phys. Rev. A 61, 063814 (2000)]. For the case of oblique incidence, generalizations of the modes discussed in the preceding paper are required. The richly detailed, resonant frequency dependence of the reflected and transmitted intensities is shown to depend significantly on the angle of incidence and the polarization of the incident light.
Abstract Coherent narrow resonances in a homogeneously broadened contour of selective reflection from the interface between a cell window and high-density atomic rubidium vapor, where the dipole broadening greatly exceeds the Doppler width of the unresolved components of rubidium D2 line, are discussed. The formation of coherent resonances is caused by the coherent scattering of probe and pump optical fields from the oscillations of populations of the ground and excited states of atoms at the beat frequency. The width of each resonance depends on the population difference decay rate. Within a simple model conditions are found for observing resonances with a Lorentzian spectral profile. The experimentally recorded coherent resonances are described by a Lorentz function with fitting parameters in the form of amplitude, width, and spectral baseline. In the limit of zero optical saturation the measured half-width of a coherent resonance (HWHM) γres/2π is about 52 MHz, which greatly exceeds the radiative decay rate of the rubidium excited state 5P3/2.