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Physical Review Letters

Omnidirectional Superfluorescence

Alexander I. Lvovsky, Sven R. Hartmann, Fred Moshary

Published May 31, 1999• 48 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A dense sample of atomic Rb vapor excited by a 4 ps laser pulse two-photon resonant with the $5S\ensuremath{-}5D$ transition in a large Fresnel number geometry emits a delayed coherent omnidirectional ir pulse on the $5D\ensuremath{-}6P$ transition. This superfluorescence emission involves a coherent population transfer to the $6P$ level and results in simultaneous directional uv emission and coherent population transfer back to the ground $5S$ state. This uv emission is a manifestation of parametric time-delayed four-wave mixing. For a composite noncollinear, $|{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{k}}_{1}|\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}|{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{k}}_{2}|$, excitation, the uv radiation pattern is conical and the cone angle depends on the angle between the excitation pulses.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.82.4420

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A dense sample of atomic rubidium vapor excited by a short (4 ps) transform-limited laser pulse two-photon resonant with the 5S-5D transition in a large Fresnel number geometry emits a delayed omnidirectional infrared superfluorescence pulse (coherent flash) on the 5D-6P transition. This superfluorescence emission involves a coherent population transfer to the 6P level and results in prompt directional yoked UV emission and coherent population transfer back to the ground 5S state. This emission completes the process of parametric four-wave mixing, selectively involving only those atoms on the 6P level whose 5D-6P emission satisfies the phase-matching condition. The unique feature of this four-wave mixing radiation is that it occurs after the termination of the pump pulse, as evidenced by direct measurement of emission timing. The multidirectional character of superfluorescent emission is confirmed by the observation of non-collinear parametric four-wave mixing when exciting the sample by two simultaneous overlapping pulses, for a wide range of beam angles. Also observed and investigated is superfluorescent transient diffraction that appears when the sample is excited by a sequence of three laser pulses.

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Summary form only given.We have observed yoked superfluorescence (YSF) on the 5D-6P-5S channel in atomic rubidium after two-photon excitation of the 5D-5S transition by a short (3 ps), 778-nm pulse from a Ti:sapphire laser system. The excitation pulse is formed by a pair of spatially overlapping pulses of wave vectors k/sub 1/ and k/sub 2/ where |k/sub 1/|=|k/sub 2/|=2/spl pi///spl lambda/ and /spl lambda/ is the wavelength of the 5D-5S transition. When the atoms are excited by taking one photon from along k/sub 1/ and one from along k/sub 2/, then phase matching requires that the yoked transition consists of photon pairs along k/sub DP/ and k/sub PS/ where k/sub 1/+k/sub 2/=k/sub DP/+k/sub PS/ and k/sub DP/ and k/sub PS/ are the wave vectors of, respectively, the upper (5D-6P) and the lower (6P-5S) transition components of the YSF. The YSF pulses are emitted in a cone determined by Brownell et al. (1995). This conical emission of YSF was observed on the 420 nm lower transition. The measured behavior of the conical apex angle /spl beta/ as a function of the angle between the excitation pulses /spl alpha/ is given as a series of points and shows good agreement with the solid line based on Brownell et al.

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We study superfluorescence (SF) from spherical and cigar-shaped clouds of laser-cooled Rubidium atoms from the $5{D}_{5/2}$ level through the $6{P}_{3/2}$ level to the $5{S}_{1/2}$ ground level. The atomic system is initially excited to the $5{D}_{5/2}$ level from the ground state via two-photon excitation through the intermediate $5{P}_{3/2}$ level. The fluorescence on the $6P\text{\ensuremath{-}}5S$ transition at 420 nm is recorded using time-resolved measurements. The time delays of the observed SF emission peaks typically scale as $\ensuremath{\sim}{N}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, where $N$ is the atom number, and are much smaller than the time delay expected for uncorrelated cascade fluorescence. Since $N$ is significantly smaller than the threshold number for SF on the 420 nm transition, and larger than the threshold number for the $5D\text{\ensuremath{-}}6P$ transition at $5.2\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$, our observations suggest that the 420 nm SF emission is triggered by rapid deexcitation of the $5D$ to the $6P$ level via SF at $5.2\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$. The observed SF time delays for 420 nm emission agree with SF time-delay estimates for the $5.2\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$ transition. For spherical clouds, the SF is isotropic. For cigar-shaped clouds, the SF is highly anisotropic. Along the long axis of cigar-shaped atom clouds, SF and incoherent cascade fluorescence produce temporally well-resolved peaks in the detected signal. In this case, the SF component of the signal is highly concentrated along a direction in between the directions of the two almost parallel excitation beams. The observed SF intensities scale as $N$, suggesting that the $5D$ level is regeneratively pumped during the SF decay.

Physical Review A•Apr 25, 2008•43 citations
A dense sample of atomic Rb vapor excited by a 4 ps laser pulse two-photon resonant with the 5S\ensuremath−5D5S\ensuremath{-}5D5S\ensuremath−5D transition in a large Fresnel number geometry emits a delayed coherent omnidirectional ir pulse on the 5D\ensuremath−6P5D\ensuremath{-}6P5D\ensuremath−6P transition. This superfluorescence emission involves a coherent population transfer to the 6P6P6P level and results in simultaneous directional uv emission and coherent population transfer back to the ground 5S5S5S state. This uv emission is a manifestation of parametric time-delayed four-wave mixing. For a composite noncollinear, ∣k\ensuremath→1∣=∣k\ensuremath→2∣|{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{k}}_{1}|\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}|{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{k}}_{2}|∣k\ensuremath→​1​∣=∣k\ensuremath→​2​∣, excitation, the uv radiation pattern is conical and the cone angle depends on the angle between the excitation pulses.
A dense sample of atomic rubidium vapor excited by a short (4 ps) transform-limited laser pulse two-photon resonant with the 5S-5D transition in a large Fresnel number geometry emits a delayed omnidirectional infrared superfluorescence pulse (coherent flash) on the 5D-6P transition. This superfluorescence emission involves a coherent population transfer to the 6P level and results in prompt directional yoked UV emission and coherent population transfer back to the ground 5S state. This emission completes the process of parametric four-wave mixing, selectively involving only those atoms on the 6P level whose 5D-6P emission satisfies the phase-matching condition. The unique feature of this four-wave mixing radiation is that it occurs after the termination of the pump pulse, as evidenced by direct measurement of emission timing. The multidirectional character of superfluorescent emission is confirmed by the observation of non-collinear parametric four-wave mixing when exciting the sample by two simultaneous overlapping pulses, for a wide range of beam angles. Also observed and investigated is superfluorescent transient diffraction that appears when the sample is excited by a sequence of three laser pulses.
Summary form only given.We have observed yoked superfluorescence (YSF) on the 5D-6P-5S channel in atomic rubidium after two-photon excitation of the 5D-5S transition by a short (3 ps), 778-nm pulse from a Ti:sapphire laser system. The excitation pulse is formed by a pair of spatially overlapping pulses of wave vectors k/sub 1/ and k/sub 2/ where |k/sub 1/|=|k/sub 2/|=2/spl pi///spl lambda/ and /spl lambda/ is the wavelength of the 5D-5S transition. When the atoms are excited by taking one photon from along k/sub 1/ and one from along k/sub 2/, then phase matching requires that the yoked transition consists of photon pairs along k/sub DP/ and k/sub PS/ where k/sub 1/+k/sub 2/=k/sub DP/+k/sub PS/ and k/sub DP/ and k/sub PS/ are the wave vectors of, respectively, the upper (5D-6P) and the lower (6P-5S) transition components of the YSF. The YSF pulses are emitted in a cone determined by Brownell et al. (1995). This conical emission of YSF was observed on the 420 nm lower transition. The measured behavior of the conical apex angle /spl beta/ as a function of the angle between the excitation pulses /spl alpha/ is given as a series of points and shows good agreement with the solid line based on Brownell et al.
Two closely spaced 778 nm, 4-ps pulses, two-photon resonant with the 5S-5D transition in Rb vapor generate a ground state grating, which later is excited by a similar third pulse, producing conical yoked superfluorescence echo on the 5S-6P, 420-nm transition. The intensity of this emission as a function of the relative delay between the leading excitation pulses is governed by the dynamics of Doppler dephasing and rephasing. This is the first observation of an echo effect induced by a spontaneous relaxation process.
We study the superfluorescence (SF) from a gas of rubidium atoms. The atoms of a dense vapor are excited to the 5D5D5D state from the 5S5S5S state by a two-photon process driven by 100-fs laser pulses. The atoms decay to the 6P6P6P state and then to the 5S5S5S state. The SF emission at 420 nm on the 6P6P6P--5S5S5S transition is recorded by a streak camera with picosecond time resolution. The time duration of the generated SF is tens of picoseconds, which is much shorter than the time scale of the usual relaxation processes, including spontaneous emission and atomic coherence dephasing. The dependence of the time delay between the reference input pulse and SF is measured as a function of laser power. The experimental data are described quantitatively by a simulation based on the semiclassical atom-field interaction theory. The observed change in scaling laws for the peak intensity and delay time can be elucidated by an SF theory in which the sample length is larger than the cooperation length.
We study superfluorescence (SF) from spherical and cigar-shaped clouds of laser-cooled Rubidium atoms from the 5D5/25{D}_{5/2}5D5/2​ level through the 6P3/26{P}_{3/2}6P3/2​ level to the 5S1/25{S}_{1/2}5S1/2​ ground level. The atomic system is initially excited to the 5D5/25{D}_{5/2}5D5/2​ level from the ground state via two-photon excitation through the intermediate 5P3/25{P}_{3/2}5P3/2​ level. The fluorescence on the $6P\text{\ensuremath{-}}5S$ transition at 420 nm is recorded using time-resolved measurements. The time delays of the observed SF emission peaks typically scale as $\ensuremath{\sim}{N}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, where NNN is the atom number, and are much smaller than the time delay expected for uncorrelated cascade fluorescence. Since NNN is significantly smaller than the threshold number for SF on the 420 nm transition, and larger than the threshold number for the $5D\text{\ensuremath{-}}6P$ transition at $5.2\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$, our observations suggest that the 420 nm SF emission is triggered by rapid deexcitation of the 5D5D5D to the 6P6P6P level via SF at $5.2\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$. The observed SF time delays for 420 nm emission agree with SF time-delay estimates for the $5.2\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$ transition. For spherical clouds, the SF is isotropic. For cigar-shaped clouds, the SF is highly anisotropic. Along the long axis of cigar-shaped atom clouds, SF and incoherent cascade fluorescence produce temporally well-resolved peaks in the detected signal. In this case, the SF component of the signal is highly concentrated along a direction in between the directions of the two almost parallel excitation beams. The observed SF intensities scale as NNN, suggesting that the 5D5D5D level is regeneratively pumped during the SF decay.