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

Physical Review A

Formation of stationary light in a medium of nonstationary atoms

Thorsten Peters, Shih-Wei Su, Yi‐Hsin Chen, Jian-Siung Wang, Shih-Chuan Gou, Ite A. Yu

Published Feb 27, 2012• 17 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We systematically study stationary light pulses formed in cold atomic media based on the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with counterpropagating laser fields. In contrast to hot media, the formation of stationary light in cold media is not straightforward. Detrimental coherences of high spatial frequencies can be excited which are naturally suppressed in hot media. We demonstrate numerically that these excitations prevent the formation of stationary light in cold media. We further present numerical and experimental results which show that these excitations can be dynamically suppressed in a medium of nonstationary atoms by reducing the width of the EIT transparency window below the typical Doppler shifts present in the medium. This provides an increased interaction time of the light pulses with the medium and enhances the efficiency of nonlinear optical interactions.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.85.023838

Related papers

Formation of a Stationary Light Pulse in a Doppler-Broadened EIT Medium

Y.-T. Chough

A number of experiments have been performed on light slowing and stopping in the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) media of hot atomic gases where the Doppler-shift may add detunings to the field frequencies in an inhomogeneous fashion. We provide here a theoretical analysis as to the effect of such a Doppler-broadened environment on the dynamics of the system in comparison to a cold atomic medium. We will show that one of the most critical factors in the formation of a stationary light pulse is the enhancement of the excited-state decay rate caused by the collisions between the atoms of the medium and the molecules of the buffer gas.

Journal of the Korean Physical Society•Nov 1, 2018•1 citation

Stationary Light Pulses in Cold Atomic Media and without Bragg Gratings

Yen-Wei Lin, Wen-Te Liao, Thorsten Peters +5 more

We study the creation of stationary light pulses (SLPs), i.e., light pulses without motion, based on the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency with two counterpropagating coupling fields in cold atoms. We show that the Raman excitations created by counterpropagating probe and coupling fields prohibit the formation of SLPs in media of cold and stationary atoms such as laser-cooled atom clouds, Bose condensates or color-center crystals. A method is experimentally demonstrated to suppress these Raman excitations and SLPs are realized in laser-cooled atoms. Furthermore, we report the first experimental observation of a bichromatic SLP at wavelengths for which no Bragg grating can be established. Our work advances the understanding of SLPs and opens a new avenue to SLP studies for few-photon nonlinear interactions.

arXiv:0810.0903•Physical Review Letters•May 28, 2009•127 citations

Observation of phase variation within stationary light pulses inside a cold atomic medium

Thorsten Peters, Yi‐Hsin Chen, Jian-Siung Wang +2 more

The successful formation of stationary light pulses in a cold atomic medium was demonstrated recently. However, unlike in hot media, a detuning between the counterpropagating fields had to be applied. Here we demonstrate that a significant nonuniform phase variation can be induced during a period of stationary light owing to off-resonantly driven transitions. The experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions for media of low optical depth. For media of high optical depth the numerical simulations indicate that such phase variation becomes negligible. Thus stationary light based on this coupling scheme could be used for possible future applications in quantum information processing.

Optics Letters•Jan 12, 2010•12 citations

Stationary and quasistationary light pulses in three-level cold atomic systems

Sergey A. Moiseev, A. I. Sidorova, Byoung Seung HAM

We have studied stationary and quasistationary signal light pulses in cold \ensuremath{\Lambda}-type atomic media driven by counterpropagating control laser fields at the condition of electromagnetically induced transparency. By deriving a dispersion relation we present spectral and temporal properties of the signal light pulse and a significant influence of atomic decoherence on the coupled stationary light pulses for spatial splitting. Finally we discuss quasistationary light pulse evolution characterized by frozen spatial spreading for a robust coherent control of slow light pulses.

arXiv:1401.7178•Physical Review A•Apr 1, 2014•18 citations

Decay of stationary light pulses in ultracold atoms

Jin‐Hui Wu, M. Artoni, Giuseppe Carlo La Rocca

We develop a general scheme for studying the optical response of ultracold atoms driven into a regime of standing-wave electromagnetically induced transparency. We rely on full numerical solutions of the Maxwell-Liouville equations without invoking secular and adiabatic approximations and arbitrary initial state assumptions. These approximations and assumptions can conceal, e.g., significant loss and diffusion responsible for the decay of stationary light pulses in cold atomic samples. The complex decay dynamics of a stationary light pulse is here analyzed in terms of higher-order spin and optical coherences that arise from nonlinear interactions of the stationary light pulse with the two counterpropagating components of a standing-wave driving field. Specific results for stationary light pulses in cold $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms have been discussed for temperature regimes where the residual Doppler broadening is negligible.

Physical Review A•Mar 11, 2010•35 citations

Stationary light in cold-atomic gases

Gor Nikoghosyan, Michael Fleischhauer

We discuss stationary light created by a pair of counterpropagating control fields in $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type atomic gases with electromagnetically induced transparency for the case of negligible Doppler broadening. In this case, the secular approximation used in the discussion of stationary light in hot vapors is no longer valid. We discuss the quality of the effective light-trapping system and show that in contrast to previous claims it is finite even for vanishing ground-state dephasing. The dynamics of the photon loss is in general nonexponential and can be faster or slower than in hot gases.

arXiv:0903.1736•Physical Review A•Jul 22, 2009•22 citations
We systematically study stationary light pulses formed in cold atomic media based on the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with counterpropagating laser fields. In contrast to hot media, the formation of stationary light in cold media is not straightforward. Detrimental coherences of high spatial frequencies can be excited which are naturally suppressed in hot media. We demonstrate numerically that these excitations prevent the formation of stationary light in cold media. We further present numerical and experimental results which show that these excitations can be dynamically suppressed in a medium of nonstationary atoms by reducing the width of the EIT transparency window below the typical Doppler shifts present in the medium. This provides an increased interaction time of the light pulses with the medium and enhances the efficiency of nonlinear optical interactions.
A number of experiments have been performed on light slowing and stopping in the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) media of hot atomic gases where the Doppler-shift may add detunings to the field frequencies in an inhomogeneous fashion. We provide here a theoretical analysis as to the effect of such a Doppler-broadened environment on the dynamics of the system in comparison to a cold atomic medium. We will show that one of the most critical factors in the formation of a stationary light pulse is the enhancement of the excited-state decay rate caused by the collisions between the atoms of the medium and the molecules of the buffer gas.
We study the creation of stationary light pulses (SLPs), i.e., light pulses without motion, based on the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency with two counterpropagating coupling fields in cold atoms. We show that the Raman excitations created by counterpropagating probe and coupling fields prohibit the formation of SLPs in media of cold and stationary atoms such as laser-cooled atom clouds, Bose condensates or color-center crystals. A method is experimentally demonstrated to suppress these Raman excitations and SLPs are realized in laser-cooled atoms. Furthermore, we report the first experimental observation of a bichromatic SLP at wavelengths for which no Bragg grating can be established. Our work advances the understanding of SLPs and opens a new avenue to SLP studies for few-photon nonlinear interactions.
The successful formation of stationary light pulses in a cold atomic medium was demonstrated recently. However, unlike in hot media, a detuning between the counterpropagating fields had to be applied. Here we demonstrate that a significant nonuniform phase variation can be induced during a period of stationary light owing to off-resonantly driven transitions. The experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions for media of low optical depth. For media of high optical depth the numerical simulations indicate that such phase variation becomes negligible. Thus stationary light based on this coupling scheme could be used for possible future applications in quantum information processing.
We have studied stationary and quasistationary signal light pulses in cold \ensuremath{\Lambda}-type atomic media driven by counterpropagating control laser fields at the condition of electromagnetically induced transparency. By deriving a dispersion relation we present spectral and temporal properties of the signal light pulse and a significant influence of atomic decoherence on the coupled stationary light pulses for spatial splitting. Finally we discuss quasistationary light pulse evolution characterized by frozen spatial spreading for a robust coherent control of slow light pulses.
We develop a general scheme for studying the optical response of ultracold atoms driven into a regime of standing-wave electromagnetically induced transparency. We rely on full numerical solutions of the Maxwell-Liouville equations without invoking secular and adiabatic approximations and arbitrary initial state assumptions. These approximations and assumptions can conceal, e.g., significant loss and diffusion responsible for the decay of stationary light pulses in cold atomic samples. The complex decay dynamics of a stationary light pulse is here analyzed in terms of higher-order spin and optical coherences that arise from nonlinear interactions of the stationary light pulse with the two counterpropagating components of a standing-wave driving field. Specific results for stationary light pulses in cold 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms have been discussed for temperature regimes where the residual Doppler broadening is negligible.
We discuss stationary light created by a pair of counterpropagating control fields in $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type atomic gases with electromagnetically induced transparency for the case of negligible Doppler broadening. In this case, the secular approximation used in the discussion of stationary light in hot vapors is no longer valid. We discuss the quality of the effective light-trapping system and show that in contrast to previous claims it is finite even for vanishing ground-state dephasing. The dynamics of the photon loss is in general nonexponential and can be faster or slower than in hot gases.