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Optics Express

Identification of orbital angular momentum using atom-based spatial self-phase modulation

Wei Gao, Sandan Wang, Jinpeng Yuan, Liantuan Xiao, Suotang Jia, Lirong Wang

Published Mar 24, 2023• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Optical vortex orbital angular momentum modes, namely the twists number of the light does in one wavelength, play a critical role in quantum-information coding, super-resolution imaging, and high-precision optical measurement. Here, we present the identification of the orbital angular momentum modes based on spatial self-phase modulation in rubidium atomic vapor. The refractive index of atomic medium is spatially modulated by the focused vortex laser beam, and the resulted nonlinear phase shift of beam directly related to the orbital angular momentum modes. The output diffraction pattern carries clearly distinguishable tails, whose number and rotation direction correspond to the magnitude and sign of the input beam orbital angular momentum, respectively. Furthermore, the visualization degree of orbital angular momentums identification is adjusted on-demand in the terms of incident power and frequency detuning. These results show that the spatial self-phase modulation of atomic vapor can provide a feasible and effective way to rapidly readout the orbital angular momentum modes of vortex beam.

DOI
10.1364/oe.482116

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Optical vortex orbital angular momentum modes, namely the twists number of the light does in one wavelength, play a critical role in quantum-information coding, super-resolution imaging, and high-precision optical measurement. Here, we present the identification of the orbital angular momentum modes based on spatial self-phase modulation in rubidium atomic vapor. The refractive index of atomic medium is spatially modulated by the focused vortex laser beam, and the resulted nonlinear phase shift of beam directly related to the orbital angular momentum modes. The output diffraction pattern carries clearly distinguishable tails, whose number and rotation direction correspond to the magnitude and sign of the input beam orbital angular momentum, respectively. Furthermore, the visualization degree of orbital angular momentums identification is adjusted on-demand in the terms of incident power and frequency detuning. These results show that the spatial self-phase modulation of atomic vapor can provide a feasible and effective way to rapidly readout the orbital angular momentum modes of vortex beam.
The effect of self-focusing and defocusing of the optical beam, which is caused by the interaction between a strong light field and medium, plays an important role in nonlinear optics. The difference in the spatial structure of the strong control beam with orbital angular momentum (OAM) and the Gaussian mode will have different effects on self-focusing and defocusing, which has the potential for realizing the modulation of the self-focusing and the defocusing process of the probe light with OAM. In this work, we report the influence of the spatial structure of the control beam on the self-focusing and defocusing process of the probe beam in a hot rubidium vapor cell with a lambda-type configuration. Under the same experimental condition, the control beam with the Laguerre-Gaussian mode contributes more to self-defocusing, while the Gaussian mode promotes the defocusing effect. The result is promising for manipulating the optical beam with OAM.
Photons are an ideal candidate for encoding both classical and quantum information. Besides spin angular momentum associated with circular polarization, single photon can also carry other fundamentally new degree of freedom of orbital angular momentum related to the spiral phase structure of light. The key significance of orbital angular momentum lies in its potential in realizing a high-dimensional Hilbert space and in encoding a high-dimensional quantum information. Since Allen et al. [Allen L, Beijersbergen M W, Spreeuw R J C, Woerdman J P 1992 Phys. Rev. A 45 8185] recognized the physical reality of photon orbital angular momentum in 1992, rapidly growing interest has been aroused in orbital angular momentum (OAM) from both classical and quantum points of view. Here we present an overall review on the high-order orbital angular momentum of photon, including its preparation and manipulation based on some specific techniques and also its applications. The spatial light modulator is a commercial device that has been widely employed to generate the OAM beams. We make and identify the optical OAM superposition with very high quantum numbers up to l=360. Recently, the metallic spiral phase mirrors were also developed to produce high-order OAM beams up to l=5050. In addition, the Q-plates made of anisotropic and inhomogeneous liquid crystals were invented to generate high-order OAM beams in a polarization-controllable manner, and the OAM superposition of l=± 50 were achieved. Owing to high rotational symmetry, these high OAM beams have been found to have more and more important applications in the fields of high-sensitivity sensing and high-precision measurements. Two fascinating examples are discussed in detail. The first example is that the research group led by Prof. Zeilinger has prepared and observed the quantum entanglement of high orbital angular momenta up to l=±300 by the technique of polarization-OAM entanglement swapping, and they demonstrated that the angular resolution could be significantly improved by a factor of l. Their result was the first step for entangling and twisting even macroscopic, spatially separated objects in two different directions. The second example is that the research group led by Prof. Padgett has demonstrated an elegant experiment of rotational Doppler effects for visible light with l=±20 OAM superposition. They showed that a spinning object with an optically rough surface might induce a Doppler effect in light reflected from the direction parallel to the rotation axis, and the frequency shift was proportional to both the disk's angular speed and the optical OAM. The potential applications in noncontact measurement of angular speed and in significant improvement of angular resolution for remote sensing will be particularly fascinating.
Airy vortex beams, which integrate orbital angular momentum with diffraction-resistant and self-accelerating characteristics of Airy beams, offer unique capabilities for high-capacity optical communication and high-resolution imaging. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the generation and manipulation of frequency-converted Airy vortex beams through four-wave mixing in hot Rb vapor. A 780 nm vortex beam and a 776 nm two-dimensional Airy beam coherently participate in the four-wave mixing process, generating a 420 nm output beam that combines the orbital angular momentum of the vortex beam with the spatial structure of the Airy beam. The generated beam exhibits pronounced quasi-nondiffracting propagation and self-acceleration, with an intensity decay rate reduced by a factor of ∼1.88 relative to the input vortex beam and a transverse acceleration ∼1.84 times that of the input Airy beam. Moreover, both the intensity and the spatial profile of the generated beam are flexibly manipulated by varying the Rb vapor temperature and the pump beam power. This work provides a versatile approach for generating and controlling structured light at what we believe are new wavelengths, opening opportunities for short-wavelength optical manipulation and optical information processing.
Abstract Spatially structured optical reflection and phase modulation in cavity quantum electrodynamics present a pathway to programmable control of structured light and topological photonic states. This study examines the spatial response of a three-level atom–assisted single-sided cavity, driven by a composite vortex control field, by analyzing the transverse distributions of the reflection coefficient and reflected-phase shift as influenced by variations in cavity decay rate, external coupling strength, and the orbital angular momentum (OAM) content of the driving fields. The control Rabi frequency Ω l ( r , ϕ ) , which inherits the doughnut-shaped amplitude and helical phase of vortex beams, results in position-dependent atomic coherence and effective cavity susceptibility, imprinting ring-like or petal-like textures onto both reflectivity and phase. For symmetric counter-rotating vortices with l 1 = − l 2 = 1 − 4 , the reflection forms 2 l -petal patterns, and the phase exhibits complementary 2 l -fold lobes with sharp phase-gradient boundaries dictated by cos ⁡ ( 2 l ϕ ) interference, while central singular features intensify with OAM order. In the case of asymmetric OAM pairs, rotational symmetry is disrupted, and the spatial spectra are primarily determined by Δ l = 3 and 5, respectively, resulting in distorted threefold and fivefold modulations with localized singular defects and star-like phase topology.
In the burgeoning field of light-matter interactions, angular momentum has emerged as a pivotal factor, driving innovative research directions. This study delves into the interaction dynamics between vortex lights and an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) medium, with a primary focus on elucidating the underlying mechanism of angular momentum transfer. Through comprehensive theoretical analysis and numerical simulations, it is demonstrated that when the probe field carries orbital angular momentum (OAM), the dispersion and absorption characteristics of the EIT medium undergo periodic modulation. This modulation is intricately determined by the azimuthal phase and topological charge of the beam. Notably, the OAM in the driving field exerts no such influence on the medium's properties. Leveraging vortex phase plates (VPPs) or spatial light modulators (SLMs) to manipulate the tunable OAM enables dynamic control over the EIT effect. This breakthrough not only deepens our understanding of light-matter interactions at the quantum level but also unlocks new avenues for high-dimensional quantum information processing and advanced optical communication technologies.
We propose a scheme to map atoms via the coherence superpositions of orbital angular momentum (OAM) light. The atoms are prepared in the four-level tripod configuration in the presence of a vortex light, which coherently superposes two Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beam modes with equal but opposite OAM. Because of the spatially dependent atom-field interaction, the information about the position of the atom can be obtained via the absorption measurement of the weak probe field. It is found that the absorption behavior is significantly impacted by the detuning, control field, azimuthal number, and radial number. Most importantly, atomic mapping accuracy can be controlled by properly adjusting the detunings and control field. The coherent interaction of OAM light with atoms constitutes a platform for active mapping of atoms at specific positions in azimuthal space.