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Physical Review A

Mapping of the optical frequency comb to the atom-velocity comb

Ticijana Ban, Damir Aumiler, Hrvoje Skenderović, Goran Pichler

Published Apr 11, 2006• 33 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A mode-locked femtosecond laser is used to physically map the laser frequency comb into the velocity comb of the excited Rb atoms at room temperature. Upon resonant excitation by discrete optical frequencies the velocity distribution of the excited Rb atoms shows comblike structure. Simultaneously, velocity-selective population transfer occurs between ground-state hyperfine levels. Both facts are observed by modified direct frequency comb spectroscopy and verified by a detailed density matrix treatment of the multilevel system in resonant field.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.73.043407

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A mode-locked femtosecond laser is used to physically map the laser frequency comb into the velocity comb of the excited Rb atoms at room temperature. Upon resonant excitation by discrete optical frequencies the velocity distribution of the excited Rb atoms shows comblike structure. Simultaneously, velocity-selective population transfer occurs between ground-state hyperfine levels. Both facts are observed by modified direct frequency comb spectroscopy and verified by a detailed density matrix treatment of the multilevel system in resonant field.
We present the experimental and theoretical study of the resonant excitation of rubidium and cesium atoms with fs pulse train in the conditions when the pulse repetition period is shorter than the atomic relaxation time. Velocity selective optical pumping of the ground state hyperfine levels and velocity comb‐like excited state hyperfine level populations is demonstrated. Both effects are a direct consequence of the fs pulse train excitation considered in the frequency domain. A simple experimental apparatus was employed to develop a modified direct frequency comb spectroscopy which uses a fixed frequency comb for the 85,87Rb 5s 2S1/2 → 5s 2P1/2,3/2 and 133Cs 6s 2S1/2 → 6p 2P1/2,3/2 excitation, and a weak cw scanning probe laser at 780 and 852 nm for Rb and Cs ground levels population monitoring.
We present direct observation of the velocity-selective optical pumping of the Rb ground state hyperfine levels induced by 5S(1/2) --> 5P(1/2) femtosecond pulse-train excitation. A modified direct frequency comb spectroscopy based on the fixed frequency comb and a weak cw scanning probe laser was developed. The femtosecond pulse-train excitation of a Doppler-broadened Rb four-level atomic vapor is investigated theoretically in the context of the density matrix formalism and the results are compared with the experiment.
We demonstrate coherent storage and retrieval of pulsed light using the atomic frequency comb protocol in a room temperature alkali vapor. We utilize velocity-selective optical pumping to prepare multiple velocity classes in the F = 4 hyperfine ground state of cesium. The frequency spacing of the classes is chosen to coincide with the F ′ = 4 − F ′ = 5 hyperfine splitting of the 6 2 P 3 / 2 excited state, resulting in a broadband periodic absorbing structure consisting of two usually Doppler-broadened optical transitions. Weak coherent states of duration 2 n s are mapped into this atomic frequency comb with pre-programmed recall times of 8 n s and 12 n s , with multi-temporal mode storage and recall demonstrated. Utilizing two transitions in the comb leads to an additional interference effect upon rephasing that enhances the recall efficiency.
The excitation of room-temperature four-level 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms by a train of ultrashort pulses is investigated theoretically in the conditions when the pulse repetition period is shorter than the characteristic atomic relaxation times. It is shown that coherent accumulation of excitation leads to coherent population trapping and electromagnetically induced transparency of the excitation pulses when the pulse repetition rate is a subharmonic of the ground-state hyperfine splitting. It is illustrated how the judicious choice for the frequency comb parameters can provide a means to effectively control the degree of coherence between the ground-state hyperfine levels for selective atomic groups, and even transfer the whole atomic distribution to the dark state with up to 9595%95 efficiency.
We present the observation of the Rb two-photon spectrum directly excited by an Er:fiber laser comb in a hot atomic vapor system. The influences of the atomic velocity distribution on direct and sequential two-photon transitions are discussed respectively and a combination of corresponding spectral control techniques is developed to eliminate the Doppler broadening background. A direct frequency comb spectroscopy is obtained with high-resolution two-photon transition lines. These techniques would benefit spectroscopy measurement in hot atomic vapor systems, and pave the way for establishing a high-stability optical frequency comb in 1.5 $\ensuremath{\mu}$m optical communication bands based on the Rb two-photon transitions.
We present an experimental and theoretical investigation of two-photon direct frequency-comb spectroscopy performed through velocity-selective excitation. In particular, we explore the effect of repetition rate on the $5{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5{D}_{3/2,5/2}$ two-photon transitions excited in a rubidium atomic vapor cell. The transitions occur via stepwise excitation through the 5P1/2,3/25{P}_{1/2,3/2}5P1/2,3/2​ states by use of the direct output of an optical frequency comb. Experiments were performed with two different frequency combs, one with a repetition rate of $\ensuremath{\approx}925$ MHz and one with a repetition rate of $\ensuremath{\approx}250$ MHz. The experimental spectra are compared to each other and to a theoretical model.