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Journal of Physics Communications

Optically polarized selection in atomic vapor and its application in mapping the polarization distribution

Jinwen Wang, Yun Chen, Xin Yang, Jun Liu, Shuwei Qiu, Mingtao Cao, Haixia Chen, Dong Wei, Klaus J. Müller‐Dethlefs, Hong Gao, Fuli Li

Published Jan 1, 2020• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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.

DOI
10.1088/2399-6528/ab6e14

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Abstract Distribution of the atomic polarization in a Cesium vapor cell, induced by optical pumping, is analytically calculated and discussed when an external magnetic field interacts with the system. Based on the rate equations of the optically pumped atomic system and considering the effect of magnetically induced dichroism on the absorption of polarized propagating light, we have obtained the light intensity and atomic polarization distribution along the propagation direction of the gas cell. It is shown that based on the initial light polarization and the laser detuning, the external magnetic field considerably changes the polarization distribution. The obtained results of the polarization distribution versus applied magnetic field can be used for different investigations, including the study of the atomic magnetometer’s sensitivity.
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.
We investigate the role of external magnetic fields and linearly polarized pump light, especially when their directions are parallel or vertical, on the propagation of the fractional vector vortex beams (FVVBs) through a polarized atomic system. Herein, the different configurations of external magnetic fields lead to various optically polarized selective transmissions of FVVBs with different fractional topological charge α caused by the polarized atoms, which is theoretically demonstrated by the atomic density matrix visualization analysis and experimentally explored by Cesium atom vapor. Meanwhile, we find that the FVVBs-atom interaction is a vectorial process due to the different optical vector polarized states. In this interaction process, the atomic optically polarized selection property provides potential for the realization of the magnetic compass based on warm atoms. For the FVVBs, due to the rotational asymmetry of the intensity distribution, we can observe some transmitted light spots with unequal energy. Compared with the integer vector vortex beam, it is possible to obtain a more precise magnetic field direction by fitting the different "petal" spots of the FVVBs.