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Journal of Modern Optics

Subluminal and superluminal light propagation via electromagnetically induced transparency in radiatively and inhomogeneously broadened media

Azeem B. Mirza, Suneel Pratap Singh

Published Nov 24, 2016• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Contrary to popular belief, we demonstrate the feasibility of generating superluminal (and subluminal) probe (and signal) light via electromagnetically induced transparency in a medium comprising coupled double-ladder systems. This scheme can be realized in both homogeneously (radiative) as well as in inhomogeneously (Doppler) broadened atomic systems. Unlike more intricate earlier schemes, our scheme is based simply on steady-state propagation dynamics resulting from compensation of the inevitable absorption losses by large nonlinear gain generated through appropriate choice of the pump and coupling fields. We show how easily in this scheme the speed of weak probe (and signal) fields can be switched from subluminal to superluminal by simply varying the strengths of the coherent pump and coupling fields. Furthermore, it is shown that under these conditions both the signal and probe fields are intensity matched and both propagate with the same subluminal (or superluminal) group velocity without suffering loss or gain for long distance in the medium.

DOI
10.1080/09500340.2016.1260173

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In this work, we investigate subluminal and superluminal light propagation in a vee-type three-level atomic medium under an external magnetic field. The dispersion and absorption behaviors are studied for the cases of absence and presence of a magnetic field. It is found that under an electromagnetically induced transparency condition, the light pulse can be switched between subluminal and superluminal propagation by ON-OFF switching of the magnetic field. Finally, the transient response of the medium is discussed, which shows that the considered scheme has potential applications in magneto-optic switching devices. Full Text: PDF ReferencesBoller K J, Imamoglu A, Harris S E, "Observation of electromagnetically induced transparency", Phys. Rev. Lett. 66 (1991) 2593. CrossRef Fleischhauer M, Imamoglu A, Marangos J P, "Electromagnetically induced transparency: Optics in coherent media", Rev. Mod. Phys. 77 (2005) 633. CrossRef L.V. Hau, S. E. Harris, Z. Dutton, C.H. Bejroozi, "Light speed reduction to 17 metres per second in an ultracold atomic gas", Nature, 397 (1999) 594. CrossRef Z. Dutton, N.G.C. Slowe, L.V. Hau, "The art of taming light: ultra-slow and stopped light", Europhysics News, 35 (2004) 33. CrossRef V. Bharti, V. Natarajan, "Sub- and super-luminal light propagation using a Rydberg state", Opt. Commun. 392 (2017) 180-184. CrossRef Khoa D X, Doai L V, Son D H and Bang N H, "Enhancement of self-Kerr nonlinearity via electromagnetically induced transparency in a five-level cascade system: an analytical approach", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B. 31 (2014) 1330. CrossRef Hamedi H R, Gharamaleki A H, and Sahrai M, "Colossal Kerr nonlinearity based on electromagnetically induced transparency in a five-level double-ladder atomic system", Appl. Opt 22 (2016) 5892. CrossRef A. Fountoulakis, A.F. Terzis, E. Paspalakis, "All-optical modulation based on electromagnetically induced transparency", Phys. Lett. A 374, (2010) 3354. CrossRef Khoa D X, Doai L V, Mai Anh L. N, Trung L. C, Thuan P. V, Dung N. T, and Bang N. H, J. "Optical bistability in a five-level cascade EIT medium: an analytical approach", Opt. Soc. Am. B, 33 (2016) 735. CrossRef Hoang Minh Dong, and Nguyen Huy Bang, "Controllable optical switching in a closed-loop three-level lambda system", Phy. Scr. 94, (2019) 115510. CrossRef Dong H M, Doai L V, Sau V N, Khoa D X and Bang N H, "Propagation of a laser pulse in a three-level cascade atomic medium under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency", Photonics Letter of Poland, 3 (2016) 73. CrossRef Khoa D X, Dong H M, Doai L V and Bang N H, "Propagation of laser pulse in a three-level cascade inhomogeneously broadened medium under electromagnetically induced transparency conditions", Optik 131 (2017) 497. CrossRef H. M. Dong, L.V. Doai, and N.H. Bang, "Pulse propagation in an atomic medium under spontaneously generated coherence, incoherent pumping, and relative laser phase", Opt. Commun. 426 (2018) 553-557. CrossRef Jiahua Li, Rong Yu, Liugang Si, and Xiaoxue Yang, "Propagation of twin light pulses under magneto-optical switching operations in a four-level inverted-Y atomic medium", J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 43 (2010) 065502. CrossRef S. H. Asadpour, H. R. Soleimani, "Polarization dependence of optical bistability in the presence of external magnetic field", Opt. Commun 310 (2014) 120-124. CrossRef H.M. Dong, L.T.Y. Nga, and N.H. Bang, "Optical switching and bistability in a degenerated two-level atomic medium under an external magnetic field", App. Opt. 58, (2019) 4192. CrossRef H. M. Dong, L. T. Y. Nga, D. X. Khoa, N. H. Bang, "Controllable ultraslow optical solitons in a degenerated two-level atomic medium under EIT assisted by a magnetic field", Sci. Rep. 10 (2020) 15298. CrossRef Daniel A. Steck, "Rubidium 87D Line Data," http://steck.us/alkalidata. CrossRef

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Electromagnetically induced transparency in an inverted Y-type four-level system

Jianbing Qi

The interaction of a weak probe laser with an inverted Y-type four-level atomic system driven by two additional coherent fields is investigated theoretically. Under the influence of the coherent coupling fields, the steady-state linear susceptibility of the probe laser shows that the system can have single or double electromagnetically induced transparency windows depending on the amplitude and the detuning of the coupling lasers. The corresponding index of refraction associated with the group velocity of the probe laser can be controlled at both transparency windows by the coupling fields. The propagation of the probe field can be switched from superluminal near the resonance to subluminal on resonance within the single transparency window when two coupling lasers are on resonance. We propose an atomic 87Rb system for experimental observation.

arXiv:0909.2079•Physica Scripta•Dec 24, 2009•22 citations
Contrary to popular belief, we demonstrate the feasibility of generating superluminal (and subluminal) probe (and signal) light via electromagnetically induced transparency in a medium comprising coupled double-ladder systems. This scheme can be realized in both homogeneously (radiative) as well as in inhomogeneously (Doppler) broadened atomic systems. Unlike more intricate earlier schemes, our scheme is based simply on steady-state propagation dynamics resulting from compensation of the inevitable absorption losses by large nonlinear gain generated through appropriate choice of the pump and coupling fields. We show how easily in this scheme the speed of weak probe (and signal) fields can be switched from subluminal to superluminal by simply varying the strengths of the coherent pump and coupling fields. Furthermore, it is shown that under these conditions both the signal and probe fields are intensity matched and both propagate with the same subluminal (or superluminal) group velocity without suffering loss or gain for long distance in the medium.
A scheme is proposed for control of pulse propagation from subluminal to superluminal in a four-level Λ-type atomic system. With the relatively intense probe laser and the appropriate detuning of control field, the medium exhibits much lower absorption in the spectral ranges where the dispersion changes from normal to abnormal in the double electromagnetically induced transparency system than in the single electromagnetically induced transparency system. The transmission intensity can be enhanced by several times for the subluminal pulse propagation and by several orders of magnitude for the superluminal pulse propagation without the large distortion in the former compared with those in the latter. We attribute the dramatic absorption reduction to the enhanced nonlinear effects.
The group index and its lineshape parameters of a relatively weak double-resonance probe pulse (signal) propagating through an open doubly driven M-type five-level atomic system are analytically formulated. It is shown for the first time, to our knowledge, that the group velocity status of the signal can be altered (between superluminal and subluminal propagation) by the combined effect of atomic coherence and linear AC Stark shift through coherent coupling. The distinct feature in this scheme is that, although it does not rely on electromagnetically induced transparency, a double-switching effect (i.e., from superluminal to subluminal and vice versa) is observed with negligible absorption/gain at two different frequency regimes.
The propagation of a weak probe field in a four-level N-type quantum system in the presence of spontaneously generated coherence (SGC) is theoretically investigated. The optical properties of the system are studied and it is shown that the group velocity of light pulse can be controlled by relative phase of applied fields. By changing the relative phase of applied fields, the group velocity of light pulse changes from transparent subluminal to the transparent superluminal light propagation. Thus, the phase-controlled absorption-free superluminal light propagation is obtained without applying an incoherent laser fields to the system. The propagation of a weak probe light pulse is studied by solving the Maxwell's wave equation on numerical grid in space and time. Moreover, we study the third order self- and cross-Kerr susceptibility of probe field and calculate the nonlinear cross-phase shift for different values of intensity of applied fields. In addition, we take into account the effect of Doppler broadening on the light pulse propagation and it is found that a suitable choice of laser propagation directions allows us to preserve our results even in the presence of Doppler effect. It is demonstrated that by increasing the Doppler width of distribution to the room temperature, the dispersion changes from transparent subluminal to transparent superluminal light propagation which is our major motivation for this work.
Abstract The propagation of a weak probe field through a four-level inverted-Y type atomic system driven by two additional coherent fields, namely the control field and the repump field, is studied. The simulated probe absorption shows that electromagnetically induced transparency and the line shape of the transparency window under a Doppler-broadened condition are dependent on the residual Doppler averaging due to the wavelength mismatch between the control and probe fields. For 87 Rb the probe propagation changes from subluminal on-resonance under a Doppler-free condition to superluminal on-resonance under a Doppler-broadened condition. For both 87 Rb and 133 Cs, the narrow subluminal window occurring in the group index profile in a Doppler-free environment offers an excellent delay bandwidth for probe field propagation. Under this condition, the order of the delay in probe field propagation can be as long as a few hundred µ s and seems quite promising in the field of optical delay generation and light storage. The analysis shows that the residual Doppler averaging has a greater impact on the switching window under the variation of the Rabi frequency of the control field as compared to that of the repump field.
In this work, we investigate subluminal and superluminal light propagation in a vee-type three-level atomic medium under an external magnetic field. The dispersion and absorption behaviors are studied for the cases of absence and presence of a magnetic field. It is found that under an electromagnetically induced transparency condition, the light pulse can be switched between subluminal and superluminal propagation by ON-OFF switching of the magnetic field. Finally, the transient response of the medium is discussed, which shows that the considered scheme has potential applications in magneto-optic switching devices. Full Text: PDF ReferencesBoller K J, Imamoglu A, Harris S E, "Observation of electromagnetically induced transparency", Phys. Rev. Lett. 66 (1991) 2593. CrossRef Fleischhauer M, Imamoglu A, Marangos J P, "Electromagnetically induced transparency: Optics in coherent media", Rev. Mod. Phys. 77 (2005) 633. CrossRef L.V. Hau, S. E. Harris, Z. Dutton, C.H. Bejroozi, "Light speed reduction to 17 metres per second in an ultracold atomic gas", Nature, 397 (1999) 594. CrossRef Z. Dutton, N.G.C. Slowe, L.V. Hau, "The art of taming light: ultra-slow and stopped light", Europhysics News, 35 (2004) 33. CrossRef V. Bharti, V. Natarajan, "Sub- and super-luminal light propagation using a Rydberg state", Opt. Commun. 392 (2017) 180-184. CrossRef Khoa D X, Doai L V, Son D H and Bang N H, "Enhancement of self-Kerr nonlinearity via electromagnetically induced transparency in a five-level cascade system: an analytical approach", J. Opt. Soc. Am. B. 31 (2014) 1330. CrossRef Hamedi H R, Gharamaleki A H, and Sahrai M, "Colossal Kerr nonlinearity based on electromagnetically induced transparency in a five-level double-ladder atomic system", Appl. Opt 22 (2016) 5892. CrossRef A. Fountoulakis, A.F. Terzis, E. Paspalakis, "All-optical modulation based on electromagnetically induced transparency", Phys. Lett. A 374, (2010) 3354. CrossRef Khoa D X, Doai L V, Mai Anh L. N, Trung L. C, Thuan P. V, Dung N. T, and Bang N. H, J. "Optical bistability in a five-level cascade EIT medium: an analytical approach", Opt. Soc. Am. B, 33 (2016) 735. CrossRef Hoang Minh Dong, and Nguyen Huy Bang, "Controllable optical switching in a closed-loop three-level lambda system", Phy. Scr. 94, (2019) 115510. CrossRef Dong H M, Doai L V, Sau V N, Khoa D X and Bang N H, "Propagation of a laser pulse in a three-level cascade atomic medium under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency", Photonics Letter of Poland, 3 (2016) 73. CrossRef Khoa D X, Dong H M, Doai L V and Bang N H, "Propagation of laser pulse in a three-level cascade inhomogeneously broadened medium under electromagnetically induced transparency conditions", Optik 131 (2017) 497. CrossRef H. M. Dong, L.V. Doai, and N.H. Bang, "Pulse propagation in an atomic medium under spontaneously generated coherence, incoherent pumping, and relative laser phase", Opt. Commun. 426 (2018) 553-557. CrossRef Jiahua Li, Rong Yu, Liugang Si, and Xiaoxue Yang, "Propagation of twin light pulses under magneto-optical switching operations in a four-level inverted-Y atomic medium", J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 43 (2010) 065502. CrossRef S. H. Asadpour, H. R. Soleimani, "Polarization dependence of optical bistability in the presence of external magnetic field", Opt. Commun 310 (2014) 120-124. CrossRef H.M. Dong, L.T.Y. Nga, and N.H. Bang, "Optical switching and bistability in a degenerated two-level atomic medium under an external magnetic field", App. Opt. 58, (2019) 4192. CrossRef H. M. Dong, L. T. Y. Nga, D. X. Khoa, N. H. Bang, "Controllable ultraslow optical solitons in a degenerated two-level atomic medium under EIT assisted by a magnetic field", Sci. Rep. 10 (2020) 15298. CrossRef Daniel A. Steck, "Rubidium 87D Line Data," http://steck.us/alkalidata. CrossRef
The interaction of a weak probe laser with an inverted Y-type four-level atomic system driven by two additional coherent fields is investigated theoretically. Under the influence of the coherent coupling fields, the steady-state linear susceptibility of the probe laser shows that the system can have single or double electromagnetically induced transparency windows depending on the amplitude and the detuning of the coupling lasers. The corresponding index of refraction associated with the group velocity of the probe laser can be controlled at both transparency windows by the coupling fields. The propagation of the probe field can be switched from superluminal near the resonance to subluminal on resonance within the single transparency window when two coupling lasers are on resonance. We propose an atomic 87Rb system for experimental observation.