Ultra slow light and extreme nonlinear optics in a degenerate quantum gas

Mikhail D. Lukin, Imamoglu

Víctor M. Pérez‐García, Natalia G. Berloff, P. G. Kevrekidis +2 more

R.-H. Rinkleff, L. Spani Molella, A. Rocco +2 more

It is well known that quantum coherence and interference are important mechanisms in tailoring optical properties of atoms and molecules. Examples are the enhancement of the index of refraction, large optical Kerr nonlinearities, and the cancellation of absorption. Nonlinear media provide a variety of new applications, such as ultra-slowing of light propagation, superluminal light propagation, ultra-sensitive magnetometer or high-finesse broadband optical cavities.

Jianping Yin

Spotts, Kevin

This thesis describes an experimental observation of electromagnetically induced transparency and ultra-slow light, as well as a description of the theories that describe them. We report electromagnetically induced transparency resonances with ultra-slow group velocities of light of order 400 m/s. We exploited the D1 line of warmed 87Rb vapor with 5 torr of helium buffer gas by establishing a Λ-configuration that employed the triply degenerate magnetic sublevels of the 5S1/2 (F=1) and 5P1/2 (F’=1) hyperfine states. In doing so, we were able to derive our signal and control fields from one laser.

Yifu Zhu