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Optics Letters

Observing quantum coherence induced transparency of hybrid vector beams in atomic vapor

Xin Yang, Yun Chen, Jinwen Wang, Zhenghui Dou, Mingtao Cao, Dong Wei, Herman Batelaan, Hong Gao, Fuli Li

Published May 29, 2019• 29 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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.

DOI
10.1364/ol.44.002911

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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 (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.
The interaction between cylindrical vector beams and atoms under a weak magnetic field induces spatially dependent electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Based on this coherence effect, we investigated the relationship between the magnitude and orientation of the transverse magnetic field (TMF) and the spatial intensity distribution of cylindrical vector beams passing through a thermal atom ensemble, which is intuitively manifested in polarization selection absorption. The radially polarized beam exhibits a spatial axisymmetric polarization structure. When a TMF is applied, transparent regions in the transmitted beam strongly correlate with the beam’s polarization distribution. Variations in the TMF magnitude alter the absorption of specific polarization components by the atomic system, thereby affecting the local transmittance. This enables the TMF magnitude to be inferred from the single transmittance of the intensity pattern. The alignment of the TMF orientation is reflected in the rotation of the petal-shaped transmission patterns aligned with the mirror axis. Theoretical solutions using optical Bloch equations reveal this specific spatially dependent EIT is closely related to the transverse relaxation rate between the ground state energy levels. Experimental data align perfectly with the theoretical results, suggesting potential applications in light field manipulation and magnetic field measurement.
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.
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.
Abstract The interaction between vector beams and atoms under a weak magnetic field could induce spatially dependent electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Based on such a coherence effect, we propose a method for manipulating vector beams carrying spiral varying phases in hot rubidium atoms. When a transverse magnetic field (TMF) is applied, the transparent regions of the transmitted beam are strongly depend on the beam’s polarization distribution. In addition to the intensity modulation, the alignment of the TMF is reflected in the rotation of the central symmetric transmission patterns. In theory, we discuss the physical mechanism of the spiral EIT region generated by the phase profile, and analyze the influence of system parameters on this coherent process. Our work confirms that introducing additional radial phases can also lead to spatially dependent EIT, which extends another degree of freedom to manipulate atomic polarization. This will provide potential applications in light field manipulation and multi-dimensional quantum storage.
In our previous studies, we reported polarization-dependent profile variations in modulation transfer spectroscopy, including enhanced error signals and modified absorption profiles, which could not be fully explained by conventional models. In this work, we propose a unified physical framework to interpret these phenomena by introducing the concept of atomic spatial polarization-dependent transmission. Using hybrid polarized vector beams as both pump and probe in a counter-propagating configuration, we demonstrate that polarization-induced anisotropic absorption arises from optical pumping dynamics mediated by the vector beam structure. We further show that, when coherent population trapping (CPT) is introduced via dual-frequency laser excitation, the formation of an atomic dark-state population markedly enhances transmission contrast and gives rise to pronounced spectral features. We observed that narrowing the full width at half maximum of the saturated absorption spectrum nearly doubled the MTS signal amplitude. These effects manifest as spatially modulated intensity patterns in the probe beam, thereby revealing CPT-enhanced, polarization-selective transmission in atomic media. Our results not only explain previously observed polarization-induced signal enhancements but also offer new insights into spatially coherent manipulation of atomic populations, with implications for precision spectroscopy and laser stabilization.