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Photonics Research

Optically spatial information selection with hybridly polarized beam in atomic vapor

Jinwen Wang, Xin Yang, Yunke Li, Yun Chen, Mingtao Cao, Dong Wei, Hong Gao, Fuli Li

Published Apr 21, 2018• 37 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Vector beams with spatially variant polarization have attracted much attention in recent years, with potential applications in both classical optics and quantum optics. In this work, we study a polarization selection of spatial intensity distribution by utilizing a hybridly polarized beam as a coupling beam and a circularly polarized beam as a probe beam in Rb87 atom vapor. We experimentally observe that the spatial intensity distribution of the probe beam after passing through atoms can be modulated by the hybridly polarized beam due to the optical pumping effect. Then, the information loaded in the probe beam can be designedly filtrated by an atomic system with a high extinction ratio. A detailed process of the optical pumping effect in our configurations and the corresponding absorption spectra are presented to interpret our experimental results, which can be used for the spatial optical information locally extracted based on an atomic system, which has potential applications in quantum communication and computation.

DOI
10.1364/prj.6.000451

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Vector beams (VBs) with potential applications are successfully utilized in many fields as light sources with a spatially-varying polarization profile in recent years. Here, we study the transmission of a VB by manipulating atomic polarization via the optical pumping effect. By using hybridly and radially polarized beams as pump and probe beams in a counter-propagating configuration, we observe a four-petal pattern intensity distribution of probe beam, and the four-petal pattern rotates with the polarization state orientation of the pump beam. The results show a polarization dependent absorption in the atomic media. We experimentally demonstrate the absorption characteristics under different polarization combinations of pump and probe beams. The Jones matrix method is used to explain this phenomenon and the simulations are consistent with the experimental observation. Our results may provide a sound foundation for applications in optical manipulation and quantum information in atomic ensembles.
Vector beams with spatially varying polarization distribution in the wavefront plane have received increasing attention in recent years. The manipulation of vector beams both in intensity and polarization distributions is highly desired and under development. In this work, we study the transmission property of vector beams through warm rubidium vapor and realize controllable transmission of vector beams based on atomic dichroism. By utilizing the linearly polarized beam and vector beams as the pump and probe beams in a pump–probe configuration, a spatially-dependent dichroism can be obtained, which leads to spatially varied absorption of the probe beam. The controllable intensity distribution of the probe beam, as a two-petal pattern, can rotate with the variation of the pump beam's polarization states. We experimentally demonstrate the mechanism of dichroism with linear polarization light and provide an explanation based on the optical pumping effect. Alternatively, the varying trend of the probe beam's intensity is also interpreted by utilizing the Jones matrix. Our results are thus beneficial for providing potential applications in optical manipulation in atomic ensembles.
Abstract Based on the dichroism induced by the optical pumping effect, a novel and effective configuration to select an arbitrary polarization distribution is proposed. The influence of the distribution of atoms in different Zeeman sub-levels is the main cause to realize the measurement or ‘filtration’ of the state of polarization. A detailed process of the optical pumping effect in our configurations is presented in the theoretical analysis. In the experiment, the flexible function of the atomic medium, such as a polarizer or a polarized filter can efficiently be realized by different polarizations of the pump beam. Four different kinds of vector beams are tested and the ability to analyze any kind of beam with arbitrary polarization distribution is proven in agreement with the prediction. This work has potential applications in atomic physics and polarization optics. Furthermore, it can provide a reference to atom-optical elements and atom-optical devices.
In recent years, many researchers have tried to control and design the collapsing behavior of light beams in nonlinear media. Vector beams coupling with spin and orbit angular momentum freedom have attracted more and more attention. In this Letter, we study the collapse of a hybrid vector beam (HVB) propagating through rubidium atomic vapor. First, the HVB collapses into filaments located at positions with linear polarization. As propagation distance in atomic vapor increases, the locations of the filaments switch from positions with linear polarization to those with circular polarization. In this process, the absorption of the medium plays an important role. Results indicate that the absorption can be used as a degree of freedom to modulate the filamentation. Furthermore, by analyzing the polarization angle of an elliptically polarized position on the transverse plane of the HVB, we demonstrate the evolution of polarization distribution of HVB during propagation. Such results could have application in manipulating other structured beams and could be potentially applied to realize optical switches or logic for information processing.
In recent years, vector beams (VBs) with spatially varying polarization profiles have been used in many fields. Here we study the transmission properties of a hybrid VB passing through atomic vapor. We observe a four-petal pattern which is induced by the rapid transport of atomic coherence. This intensity distribution can be modified by coherence attenuation and absorption enhancement controlled by an external magnetic field. A second experiment with orthogonal circularly polarized states shows that the quantum coherence can be induced by two spatially separated laser beams and support our interpretation of our results for the hybrid VB experiment. Our results may have applications in optical manipulation, the measurement of magnetic fields, and the study of quantum coherence in atomic ensembles.
Vector beams with spiral phase and spatially varying polarization profiles have many applications from optical micromanipulation to materials processing. Here, we propose and demonstrate an atomic spatial mode extracting scheme for the vector beam based on polarization-dependent absorption in the atom vapor. By employing the linear polarization pump beam which induces polarization sensitive absorption in the atomic ensemble, a counter-propagated weak probe vector beam is extracted by spatial absorption, and extracted part still maintains the original polarization and the vortex phase. The topological charges of the extracted mode are verified by interfering with the Gaussian beam, and it can be found that the orbital angular momentum is conserved in the extracting process. Our work will have potential applications in non-destructive spatial mode identification, and is also useful for studying higher-dimensional quantum information based on atomic ensembles.