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Journal of Modern Optics

Optical gain in an optically driven three-level system in atomic Rb vapor

Charles W. Ballmann, Vladislav V. Yakovlev

Published Oct 26, 2017• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this work, we report experimentally achieved optical gain of a weak probe beam in a three-level Λ system in a low density Rubidium vapor cell driven by a single pump beam. The maximum measured gain of the probe beam was about 0.12%. This work could lead to new approaches for enhancing molecular spectroscopy applications.
DOI
10.1080/09500340.2017.1391958

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An electromagnetically induced transparency is observed at one arm of a three-level \ensuremath{\Lambda}-type system in a rubidium D1 line (794.8 nm) with an 85% reduction in absorption, when a pumping field is present at the other arm. This reduction in absorption for the weak probe field is due to the atomic coherence produced by the strong pumping field. This experiment is done in a Rb vapor cell at room temperature with cw diode lasers for both pumping and probe beams in a Doppler-free configuration. A simple theoretical treatment including Doppler broadening is in good qualitative agreement with the experimental measurement.
We present results of our experimental investigations of nonlinear ground-state pump-probe spectroscopy in ultracold 85{}^{85}85Rb collected in a magneto-optical trap. These measurements represent an extension of a similar pump-probe spectroscopy in a two-level atomic system when strongly driven by a near-resonant pump beam. In the present three-level system, coherence-induced gain at the probe laser frequency can be observed at specific frequencies within the spectrum. The absorption or gain spectra that we observe resemble those of the two-level gain spectra, but different interference processes lead to features that are not present in the two-level case. We describe our measurements of this interaction in this work.
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There are many methods to achieve optical gain for laser applications; such methods have been used to make improved spectroscopy and microscopy apparatus. In particular, gain from acoustic and atomic interactions has attained much interest, as is evident in the literature. In this work, we report the results of several experiments involving nonlinear Brillouin scattering and three-level gain in rubidium vapor. \n\nBrillouin scattering, both spontaneous and stimulated, in principle result from the scattering of light off of acoustic waves in a medium. While both spontaneous and stimulated Brillouin scattering have been applied to spectroscopy of various samples, from condensed matter to gases, only spontaneous Brillouin scattering has been used for microscopy purposes. We report our result from several proof-of-principle experiments in which stimulated Brillouin scattering and impulsive stimulated Brillouin scattering were applied to microscopic purposes for the first time. We show the advantages these methods afford over spontaneous Brillouin scattering and make a statistical comparison between them. \n\nThere are also many ways to achieve gain in atomic vapors. Using a setup similar to the stimulated Brillouin scattering setup we performed gain in a three-level Λ system in warm rubidium vapor. To our knowledge, this is the first time this three-level analog of Mollow’s two-level system with Doppler broadening has been experimentally investigated. Our results show about 0.12% gain in the probe beam. \n\nThis work, and extensions of it, should provide additional methods of performing spectroscopy and microscopy in various materials from atoms to bulk matter.
We present the results of an experimental and theoretical study of the gain (or absorption) experienced by a weak probe beam propagating through a sodium vapor in the presence of an intense pump field that is nearly resonant with the 3s → 3p atomic transition. The probe-transmission spectrum includes three distinct features that result from the modification of the atomic-level structure by the ac-Stark effect. Two of these features can lead to amplification of the probe wave. We measured the dependence of the probe spectrum on the detuning of the pump beam from resonance and on the pressure of a helium buffer gas. The experimentally obtained spectra are in good agreement with the predictions of a theoretical model based on the solution of the density-matrix equations of motion for a two-level atom and including the effects of Doppler broadening. The maximum gain measured in these experiments occurs at one of the Rabi sidebands and leads to a 38-fold increase in the intensity of the probe wave. Under some experimental conditions, we also observed two additional resonances, which are due to stimulated Raman scattering involving the sodium ground-state hyperfine levels.
The results of an experimental and theoretical study of the gain (or absorption) experienced by a weak probe beam propagating through a sodium vapor in the presence of an intense pump field that is nearly resonant with the 3s→3p atomic transition are presented. In general, the probe transmission spectrum is found to be comprised of three distinct features, two of which can lead to amplification of the probe wave. The origin of these features can be traced to the modification of the atomic level structure by the ac Stark effect. The experimentally measured spectra are in good agreement with the predictions of a theoretical model based on the solution of the density-matrix equations of motion for a two-level atom and including the effects of Doppler broadening. The dependence of the induced gain on the pressure of a helium buffer gas has been measured and is found to be in good agreement with the predictions of theory. The maximum gain observed in these experiments occurs at one of the Rabi sidebands and leads to a 38-fold increase in the intensity of the probe wave.