Properties of Optical Media

V. E. Khartsiev

Antoni Wójcik, R. Parzyński

In recent years reports on very interesting media showing unusual optical properties have appeared in literature on atomic physics. The source of these properties is quantum interference revealed in the process of interaction of atoms with coherent light. The basis of this process is the fact that if there are at least two possibilities of realization of the process of absorption or emission of light in a given medium leading to the same final state, they interfere with each other. The result of the interference depends on relative phases of the interfering processes. However, for the interference to be observable the above phases must be well determined. The phase coherence of the medium is thus a condition necessary for obtaining the optical properties characteristic of quantum interference. This fact has been underlined by the name phaseonium given to these media by Marlan O. Scully. Recently observed unusual optical properties of a phase-coherent atomic medium (phaseonium) is explained using very simple models.

Christopher R. Moylan

Giacomo Mauro D’Ariano, Matteo G. A. Paris, Massimiliano Federico Sacchi

An effective maximum likelihood method is suggested to characterize the absorption/amplification properties of active optical media through homodyne detection.

Robert J. Brecha, J Michael O’Hare

Nuno A. Silva, João C. Costa, Miguel Gomes +3 more

The realization of tabletop optical analogue experiments of superfluidity relies on the engineering of suitable optical media, with tailored optical properties. This work shows how quantum atomic optical systems can be used to develop highly tunable optical media, with localized control of both linear and nonlinear susceptibility. Introducing the hydrodynamic description of light, the superfluidity of light in these atomic media is investigated through GPU-enhanced numerical simulations, with the numeric observation of the superfluidic signature of suppressed scattering through a defect.