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Frontiers in Optics

Intrinsic Optical Bistability in a Rydberg Ensemble

Natalia R. de Melo, Christopher G. Wade, Nikola Šibalić, Jorge Douglas Massayuki Kondo, Charles S. Adams, Kevin J. Weatherill

Published Jan 1, 2017• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We investigate intrinsic optical bistability and hysteresis in diluted cesium vapor as function of different parameters. The results are consistent with theoretical model based on the semiclassical Maxwell-Bloch equations adding interaction effects.
DOI
10.1364/fio.2017.fw6b.4

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We observe and characterize intrinsic optical bistability in a dilute Rydberg vapor. The bistability is characterized by sharp jumps between states of low and high Rydberg occupancy with jump-up and -down positions displaying hysteresis depending on the direction in which the control parameter is changed. We find that the shift in frequency of the jump point scales with the fourth power of the principal quantum number. Also, the width of the hysteresis window increases with increasing principal quantum number, before reaching a peak and then closing again. The experimental results are consistent with predictions from a simple theoretical model based on semiclassical Maxwell--Bloch equations including the effects of interaction-induced broadening and level shifts. These results provide insight into the dynamics of driven dissipative systems.
We investigate the phenomenon of optical bistability in a driven ensemble of Rydberg atoms. By performing two experiments with thermal vapors of rubidium and cesium, we are able to shed light on the underlying interaction mechanisms causing such a nonlinear behavior. Due to the different properties of these two atomic species, we conclude that the large polarizability of Rydberg states in combination with electric fields of spontaneously ionized Rydberg atoms is the relevant interaction mechanism. In the case of rubidium, we directly measure the electric field in a bistable situation via two-species spectroscopy. In cesium, we make use of the different sign of the polarizability for different lll states and the possibility of applying electric fields. Both these experiments allow us to rule out dipole-dipole interactions and support our hypothesis of a charge-induced bistability.
The theory of optical bistability can be developed at various levels of sophistication.(1) In this overview I have chosen an approach which I hope will make the simplicity and generality of the phenomenon clear, and be suited to the emphasis of this meeting. I will describe a deterministic, semiclassical theory of optical bistability, based on coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations. Statistical and quantum statistical theories will not be included. I also limit my attention to questions concerning steady states and their stability, leaving the theory of higher bifurcations to other speakers.
A model for intrinsic optical bistability is presented in the case of systems that can be described as two weakly interacting subsystems embedded in a matrix M. This model is based on an effective spin-Hamiltonian and a semiclassical density-matrix approach. It is shown that optical bistability should occur when the interaction between the two subsystems fluctuates more rapidly than the characteristic time of the interaction. The validity of the model is demonstrated in the case of bistable electron magnetic resonance, involving real spins. It is also shown that this model provides a semiquantitative explanation of intrinsic optical bistability for Yb3+{\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}Yb3+ pairs in CsCdBr3{\mathrm{CsCdBr}}_{3}CsCdBr3​ matrix.
Highly-excited Rydberg atoms have strong long-range interactions resulting in exotic optical prop erties such as large single photon non-linearities and intrinsic bistability. In this paper we study optical-driven non-equilibrium phase transitions in a thermal Rydberg gas with a sensitivity two order of magnitude higher than in previous work. In this regime we can elucidate the effect of inter actions on the bistable optical response, and exploit different branches in the potential in order to study multi-component Rydberg gases with a rich of phase diagram including overlapping bistable regions. In addition, we study the effect of polarization on the width of the hysteresis loop. Finally, we observe that the medium exhibits a dynamical instability resulting from the competing dynamics of excitation and decay.