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Laser Physics Letters

Experimental study of discrete diffraction behavior in a coherent atomic system

Jinpeng Yuan, Yihong Li, Shaohua Li, Changyong Li, Lirong Wang, Liantuan Xiao, Suotang Jia

Published Nov 23, 2017• 12 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Discrete diffraction behavior was experimentally studied in a coherent rubidium 5 S 1/2 − 5 P 3/2 − 5 D 5/2 cascade system. An optical lattice was established by the interference of two coupling lasers corresponding to 5 P 3/2 − 5 D 5/2 transition with a small angle. The distinct discrete diffraction patterns were observed in vapor when the probe laser corresponding to the 5 S 1/2 − 5 P 3 /2 transition propagated through the optical lattice. The optimized pertinent experimental parameters such as vapor temperature, two-photon detuning, coupling laser intensity and probe laser intensity are obtained. The experimental results are well analyzed utilizing the density-matrix theory. This system provides a new approach to investigate non-Hermitian physics and discrete solitons.

DOI
10.1088/1612-202x/aa931a

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Abstract Discrete diffraction behavior was experimentally studied in a coherent rubidium 5 S 1/2 − 5 P 3/2 − 5 D 5/2 cascade system. An optical lattice was established by the interference of two coupling lasers corresponding to 5 P 3/2 − 5 D 5/2 transition with a small angle. The distinct discrete diffraction patterns were observed in vapor when the probe laser corresponding to the 5 S 1/2 − 5 P 3 /2 transition propagated through the optical lattice. The optimized pertinent experimental parameters such as vapor temperature, two-photon detuning, coupling laser intensity and probe laser intensity are obtained. The experimental results are well analyzed utilizing the density-matrix theory. This system provides a new approach to investigate non-Hermitian physics and discrete solitons.
ABSTRACT The manipulation of light in periodic structures is fundamental to the development of discrete photonics and provides a versatile platform for controlling light propagation in integrated and quantum photonic systems. This work reports the experimental observation of discrete one‐dimensional (1D) solitons in a photonic lattice, optically induced in warm rubidium vapor. The lattice is generated by the interference of two coupling laser fields intersecting at a small angle, which creates a spatially modulated 1D refractive index. When a probe beam is focused into a single lattice site, discrete diffraction is observed. By increasing the probe intensity, discrete solitons emerge as a result of the balance between discrete diffraction and self‐focusing within the nonlinear atomic medium. Experimental results are supported by numerical simulations, in which the refractive index is modeled via optical Bloch equations for a multilevel atomic system driven by the coupling and probe fields in a configuration. These results, combined with the inherent controllability of gain and loss in atomic vapors, suggest that this platform provides a versatile foundation for exploring non‐Hermitian nonlinear dynamics in photonic lattices.
The diffraction pattern of a two-dimensional optically induced atomic lattice is reported experimentally in a three-level atomic system. Such a two-dimensional optical lattice is established by two orthogonal standing-wave fields induced by the interference of two pairs of coupling laser beams. When the probe beam is launched into it, a spatially modulated discrete diffraction pattern can be obtained at the output plane of the vapor cell under the electromagnetically induced transparency condition. We investigate the diffraction pattern under different experimental parameters and find that it can be effectively controlled by tuning the coupling laser power and two-photon detuning. Our work may potentially pave the way for studying the control of light and other intriguing physical phenomena based on such a periodically modulated atomic lattice.
The photonic graphene in atoms not only has the typical photonic band structures but also exhibits controllable optical properties that are difficult to achieve in the natural graphene. Here, the evolution process of discrete diffraction patterns of a photonic graphene, which is constructed through a three-beam interference, is demonstrated experimentally in a 5 S 1/2 − 5 P 3/2 − 5 D 5/2 85 Rb atomic vapor. The input probe beam experiences a periodic refractive index modulation when traveling through the atomic vapor, and the evolution of output patterns with honeycomb, hybrid-hexagonal, and hexagonal geometric profiles is obtained by controlling the experimental parameters of two-photon detuning and the power of the coupling field. Moreover, the Talbot images of such three kinds of periodic structure patterns at different propagating planes are observed experimentally. This work provides an ideal platform to investigate manipulation the propagation of light in artificial photonic lattices with tunable periodically varying refractive index.
ladder-type system. By launching a probe laser into a periodically modulated lattice constructed by two crossed coupling fields with a small angle inside the rubidium vapor, a high-resolution diffraction pattern is obtained. The diffraction pattern is reproduced completely at detection positions of an integer multiple of twice the Talbot lengths. Meanwhile, the fractional Talbot effect, presented as complicated subimages at special positions, is also clearly observed. Furthermore, the theoretical simulations are conducted and agree well with the experimental results. These results pave the way for studying the control of light dynamics based on the periodically modulated medium.
We experimentally demonstrated the formation of a one-dimensional electromagnetically induced optical lattice in coherently prepared three-level 85Rb Rydberg atomic vapors with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The one-dimensional photonic lattice was optically induced by a coupling field with a spatially periodical intensity distribution deriving from the interference of two strong Gaussian beams from the same laser source (~480 nm). Under the Rydberg-EIT condition, the incident weak probe beam can feel a tunable spatially modulated susceptibility, which is verified by the controllable discrete diffraction pattern observed at the output plane of the vapor cell. This investigation not only opens the door for experimentally introducing the strong interaction between Rydberg atoms to govern the beam dynamics in photonic lattices based on atomic coherence but also provides an easily accessible periodic environment for exploring Rydberg-atom physics and related applications.