Abstract Discerning electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) from Autler–Townes splitting (ATS) is a significant issue in quantum optics and has attracted wide attention in various three-level configurations. Here we present a detailed study of EIT and ATS in a five-level atomic system considered to be composed of a four-level Y-type subsystem and a three-level Λ-type subsystem. In our theoretical calculations with standard density matrix formalism and steady-state approximation, we obtain the general analytical expression of the first-order matrix element responsible for the probe-field absorption. In light of the well-known three-level EIT and ATS criteria, we numerically show an intersection of EIT with ATS for the Y-type subsystem. Furthermore, we show that an EIT dip is sandwiched between two ATS dips (i.e., multi-dip mixture of EIT and ATS) in the absorption line for the five-level system, which can be explained by the dressed-state theory and Fano interference.
Abstract Discerning electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) from Autler–Townes splitting (ATS) is a significant issue in quantum optics and has attracted wide attention in various three-level configurations. Here we present a detailed study of EIT and ATS in a five-level atomic system considered to be composed of a four-level Y-type subsystem and a three-level Λ-type subsystem. In our theoretical calculations with standard density matrix formalism and steady-state approximation, we obtain the general analytical expression of the first-order matrix element responsible for the probe-field absorption. In light of the well-known three-level EIT and ATS criteria, we numerically show an intersection of EIT with ATS for the Y-type subsystem. Furthermore, we show that an EIT dip is sandwiched between two ATS dips (i.e., multi-dip mixture of EIT and ATS) in the absorption line for the five-level system, which can be explained by the dressed-state theory and Fano interference.
Summary form only given. If in general the transparency of an initially absorbing medium for a probe field is increased by the presence of a control field on an adjacent transition, two very different processes can be invoked to explain it. One of them is a quantum Fano interference between two paths in the three-level system, which occurs even at low control intensity and gives rise to electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT), the other one is the appearance of two dressed states in the excited level at higher control intensity, corresponding to the Autler-Townes splitting (ATS). This distinction is particularly critical for instance for the implementation of slow light or optical quantum memories. In a recent paper, P. M. Anisimov, J. P. Dowling and B. C. Sanders proposed a quantitative test to objectively discerning ATS from EIT. We experimentally investigated this test with cold atoms and demonstrated that it is very sensitive to the specific properties of the medium. In this study, we use an ensemble of cold Cesium atoms trapped in a MOT, interacting with light via a Λ-type scheme on the D2 line. Absorption profiles are obtained for various values of the control Rabi frequency Ω between 0.1Γ and 4Γ, where Γ is the natural linewidth.
Autler-Townes splitting (ATS) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) both yield transparency in an absorption profile, but only EIT yields strong transparency for a weak pump field due to Fano interference. Empirically discriminating EIT from ATS is important but so far has been subjective. We introduce an objective method, based on Akaike's information criterion, to test ATS vs EIT from experimental data for three-level atomic systems and determine which pertains. We apply our method to a recently reported induced-transparency experiment in superconducting-circuit quantum electrodynamics.
To distinguish the contributions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler-Townes splitting (ATS) in their applications in precision laser spectroscopy, we propose a real-imaginary spectrum decomposition method to investigate the transparency spectra in a four-level microwave (MW) dressed Rydberg system. We show that the opening transparency windows in the absorption spectra of probe field is a prominent character by EIT, EIT-ATS crossover, and ATS when the MW field is turned off and the intensity of the control field is adjusted. When the MW field is turned on and gradually increased, the EIT is destroyed and disappears. In addition, the most prominent characters that open a transparency window are the EIT-ATS crossover and the ATS. Then, if we further increase the intensity of the MW field, we find that the transparency windows open mainly due to the ATS. Compared to the previous considerations of this issue, which were limited to three-level systems, our four-level scheme reported here is useful for understanding the features of quantum interference in multilevel atomic systems, and has potential applications to study enhanced sensitivity, measurement spectroscopic, quantum processing, quantum communication, and transmission.
Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler–Townes splitting (ATS) are two similar yet distinct phenomena that modify the transmission of a weak probe field through an absorption medium in the presence of a coupling field, featured in a variety of three-level atomic systems. In many applications it is important to distinguish EIT from ATS splitting. We present EIT and ATS spectra in a three-level cascade system, involving cold cesium atoms in the Rydberg state. The EIT linewidth, γ EIT , defined as the full width at half maximum of the transparency window, and the ATS splitting, γ ATS , defined as the peak-to-peak distance between AT absorption peaks, are used to delineate the EIT and ATS regimes and to characterize the transition between the regimes. In the cold-atom medium, in the weak-coupler (EIT) regime γ EIT ≈ A + B ( + , where Ω c and Ω p are the coupler and probe Rabi frequencies, Γ eg is the spontaneous decay rate of the intermediate 6P 3/2 level, and parameters A and B that depend on the laser linewidth. We explore the transition into the strong-coupler (ATS) regime, which is characterized by the relation γ ATS ≈ Ω c . The experiments are in agreement with numerical solutions of the Master equation. Our analysis accounts for non-ideal conditions that exist in typical realizations of Rydberg-EIT, including laser-frequency jitter, Doppler mismatch of the utilized two-color Rydberg EIT system, and strong probe fields. The obtained criteria to distinguish cold-atom EIT from ATS are readily accessible and applicable in practical implementations.
We present a theoretical study of high-efficiency four-wave mixing (FWM) sum-frequency generation beyond a pure electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) technique in a five-level atomic system. In our FWM scheme, with the assistance of two Λ-type subsystems utilized to create EIT and Autler-Townes splitting (ATS), a synergetic mechanism of EIT and ATS, or a dual-ATS mechanism is induced. These novel mechanisms can have a significant impact on the FWM process in the optically thick medium, and the FWM efficiency can be several orders of magnitude larger than that obtained from the pure EIT method. This Letter opens up a new perspective for exploring enhanced quantum nonlinear optical phenomena.
In this article we have shown that the atomic states can be engineered by tunning the coupling Rabi frequency for a system with N-type configuration. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), Electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) and Autler-Townes (AT) splitting has been observed experimentally in a four level N-type atomic vapor of 85Rb atoms in the hyperfine levels of D2 transition. It has been shown that the response of the atomic medium can be tunned from highly transparent to highly absorptive in our case. The evolution of the atomic states from the dark state |D> to the non-coupled state |NC> has been studied with the partial dressed state approach which makes the backbone of the modification of the atomic response. In addition, transient solutions in the time domain and steady state solution in the frequency domain has been studied. The population dynamics and the coherence contribution in each case has been analyzed by the time dependent solutions. The experimentally observed steady line-shape profiles has been supported by the steady state solution of optical-Bloch equations considering the Maxwell Boltzmann velocity distributions of the atoms. It has been observed that the crossover between the EIT and the AT splitting has been replaced by the interference contribution of the EIA in this N-type system.