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Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Mid-infrared Airy beam generation at room temperature

Nawaz Sarif Mallick

Published Feb 18, 2025• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper investigates the potential of nonlinear processes in an inhomogeneously broadened atomic ensemble to generate an Airy beam in the mid-IR regime. We concentrate on a four-level 85 Rb atomic system that interacts nonlinearly with two strong control fields and a weak probe field. This interaction results in a non-degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) signal at a wavelength of 5.23 µm, facilitating the transfer of Airy features from the probe field to the mid-IR FWM signal. Using computational methods, we numerically solve Maxwell’s wave equation in the paraxial limit, demonstrating the successful transfer of Airy beam-induced spatial inhomogeneity from atomic coherence to the generated mid-IR signal. We show the generation of a finite-energy mid-IR Airy beam through the nonlinear FWM process, with transverse intensity variations observed at different propagation lengths, offering enhanced visualization of the Airy beam’s evolution. The generation and manipulation of the Airy beam provides significant advantages for imaging, sensing, spectroscopy, and optical communications. Their self-healing properties and ability to preserve beam integrity over long distances enhance precision, resolution, and reliability, making them ideal for various mid-IR applications.

DOI
10.1364/josab.544814

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Optics Letters•Apr 22, 2020•13 citations
This paper investigates the potential of nonlinear processes in an inhomogeneously broadened atomic ensemble to generate an Airy beam in the mid-IR regime. We concentrate on a four-level 85 Rb atomic system that interacts nonlinearly with two strong control fields and a weak probe field. This interaction results in a non-degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) signal at a wavelength of 5.23 µm, facilitating the transfer of Airy features from the probe field to the mid-IR FWM signal. Using computational methods, we numerically solve Maxwell’s wave equation in the paraxial limit, demonstrating the successful transfer of Airy beam-induced spatial inhomogeneity from atomic coherence to the generated mid-IR signal. We show the generation of a finite-energy mid-IR Airy beam through the nonlinear FWM process, with transverse intensity variations observed at different propagation lengths, offering enhanced visualization of the Airy beam’s evolution. The generation and manipulation of the Airy beam provides significant advantages for imaging, sensing, spectroscopy, and optical communications. Their self-healing properties and ability to preserve beam integrity over long distances enhance precision, resolution, and reliability, making them ideal for various mid-IR applications.
We investigate the generation of mid-infrared (mid-IR) vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) through nonlinear processes in an inhomogeneously broadened 85 Rb atomic ensemble. By employing a four-level atomic system featuring two strong control fields and a weak probe field, we generate a non-degenerate four-wave mixing signal at a wavelength of 5.23 µm. Applying the density-matrix formalism, we derive an analytical expression for the nonlinear atomic coherence which facilitates the transfer of vortex characteristics such as topological charge and intensity and phase profiles from the probe field to the mid-IR signal. Numerical solutions of Maxwell’s wave equation confirm the generation of mid-IR vortex beams with adjustable topological charges and beam widths at different spatial positions. This technique offers significant potential for applications in mid-IR communication, providing additional bandwidth and improved data transmission rates, as well as in fields such as microfluidics, biophysics, and nanotechnology, where OAM-carrying beams can manipulate microparticles with precision.
We explore the generation of orbital angular momentum (OAM) carrying mid-infrared Bessel-Gaussian beams through nonlinear interactions within a non-uniformly broadened 85 Rb atomic ensemble. Utilizing an efficient four-wave mixing (FWM) scheme driven by two strong control fields and a weak probe field, we achieve coherent emission at a wavelength of 5.23 µm. By employing the density matrix approach, we obtain an analytical expression for the nonlinear atomic coherence involved in the four-wave mixing process, elucidating how the Bessel-Gaussian profile of the probe field is transferred into the mid-infrared signal. Numerical simulations of Maxwell’s wave equation ensure the generation of phase-matched, non-diffracting Bessel-Gaussian beams, which can be precisely controlled by manipulating the spatial susceptibility of the atomic medium. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the potential of higher-order Bessel-Gaussian beams with OAM to significantly advance applications in high-speed communication, biomedical imaging, and optical manipulation, owing to their robust beam integrity and enhanced data transmission capabilities in the mid-infrared spectrum.
The Airy beam in the short-wavelength regime, endowed with tunable physical properties of self-acceleration, non-diffraction, and self-healing, holds significant promise for advancing high-resolution optical trapping and imaging.Here, we experimentally demonstrate a tunable blue-violet Airy beam generator based on a non-degenerate four-wave mixing process in a diamondtype energy level system of Rb atoms.The 420 nm signal two-dimensional Airy beam is generated when the 780 nm Gaussian pump and the 776 nm probe Airy beams simultaneously interact with the atomic medium.The physical properties of the Airy beam are transferred from the near-infrared (776 nm) to the blue-violet (420 nm) wavelength via the non-degenerate fourwave mixing process.Compared to the input 776 nm probe Airy beam, the generated 420 nm Airy beam exhibits ∼1.86 times reduction in non-diffraction distance and ∼1.83 times increase in acceleration owing to the nonlinear frequency conversion.Additionally, the self-healing property of the generated 420 nm Airy beam is verified by the robust reappearance of the blocked beam main lobe.The all-optical control of the generated 420 nm Airy beam is achieved by tuning the Rb vapor temperature and the pump beam power, enabling dynamic manipulation of beam intensity and spatial profile.Our work establishes a versatile platform for generating a tunable short-wavelength structured light field by nonlinear light-matter interactions, opening avenues for applications in optical information processing and precision microfabrication.
We report on an experimental generation of Airy beams by four-wave mixing (FWM) in atomic vapor cells. This is achieved by using a non-degenerate FWM process, which occurs with two Gaussian pump beams and one Airy signal beam in hot Rubidium vapor. After satisfying the phase matching condition, a FWM field with the profile of an Airy beam can be generated. In our experiment, the diffraction-free and self-healing behaviors of the generated FWM beam are examined. The results shown that the generated FWM beam is an Airy beam. The nonlinear generation process can be extended to other configurations in the atomic medium, which will be useful for manipulation and application of Airy beams in atomic systems.
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.
We use a conventional linear Airy beam to prepare a nonlinear Airy beam via four-wave mixing (FWM) and six-wave mixing (SWM) processes in an atomic vapor. We find that its ballistic trajectory is a result of the competition between the transverse self-acceleration and nonlinear phase shift, and the intensity of Airy beam's sub lobes or main lobe is suppressed due to destructive interference of the FWM and SWM processes. By controlling the nonlinear overlap area of the linear Airy beam and two Gaussian beams, we find that the Airy beam's profile varies from one-dimensional (1D) to two-dimensional (2D). The profile evolution process can be applied to create a new (to our knowledge) type of nonlinear filter. In addition, we also observe the Airy beam's pattern in momentum space with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in an atomic vapor. Our research results open up new possibilities for manipulating Airy beams that cannot be achieved with a conventional Airy beam.