Three and Four Wave Mixing

Pierre Meystre, Murray Sargent

Miao‐Xiang Liang, Yu-Xiang Qiu, Hai‐Chao Li +1 more

Exploring intermixing and interplay between different frequency-mixing processes has always been one of the interesting subjects at the interface of nonlinear optics with quantum optics. Here we investigate coherent competition and control between three-wave mixing (TWM) and four-wave mixing (FWM) in a cyclic $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$-type three-level superconducting quantum system. In the weak control-field regime, strong competition leads to an alternating oscillation between TWM and FWM signals and this oscillation is a signature of strong energy exchange between these two nonlinear processes. In particular, such oscillation is absent from conventional multiwave mixing in atomic systems. Surprisingly, synchronous TWM and FWM processes are demonstrated in the strong control-field regime and, at the same time, their efficiencies can be as high as 42 and 47%, respectively. Our paper shows that these competitive behaviors between TWM and FWM can be manipulated by tuning the control-field intensity.

Pierre Meystre, Murray Sargent

Yanpeng Zhang, Zhiqiang Nie, Yan Jie Zhao +4 more

We experimentally demonstrate the vortex solitons of four-wave mixing (FWM) in multi-level atomic media created by the interference patterns with superposing three or more waves. The modulation effect of the vortex solitons is induced by the cross-Kerr nonlinear dispersion due to atomic coherence in the multi-level atomic system. These FWM vortex patterns are explained via the three-, four- and five-wave interference topologies.

Yanpeng Zhang, Andy W. Brown, Min Xiao

Highly efficient four-wave mixing (FWM) and six-wave mixing (SWM) processes can coexist in a four-level Y-type atomic system due to atomic coherence. The simultaneously opened dual electromagnetically induced transparency windows in this four-level atomic system allow observation of these two nonlinear optical processes at the same time, which enables detailed studies of the interplay between the FWM and SWM processes. Three-photon and five-photon destructive interferences are also observed.

V. D. Solovev, A I Khizhnyak