Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Laser Physics

Nonreciprocal transmission of an optical vortex based on Raman transition in a three-level atomic system

Fei Xu, Yihong Qi, Yueping Niu, Shangqing Gong

Published May 20, 2025• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Vortex beams have important applications in a number of physical fields such as optical information processing, optical imaging, etc. Nonreciprocal propagation of light often plays a key role in some occasions in these applications. In this work, we investigate the nonreciprocal propagation of a vortex beam using a far-off resonant Raman process in a Λ -type three-level thermal atomic system. The probe vortex can propagate with high transmission in the backward direction and be well isolated in the forward direction. Via adjusting the strong control field and the atom temperature, the forward transmission of the probe vortex can be further suppressed, and higher isolation can be achieved under the use of a controlled vortex with the same orbital angular momentum. This work may provide reference for experimental studies on the nonreciprocal transmission of vortex beams and find applications in vortex isolators and circulators.

DOI
10.1088/1555-6611/add4ee

Related papers

Raman-induced transfer of optical vortices

Linjie Ding, Fei Wang, Fanggui Hu

Abstract We explore the concept that the Raman process can be used as an effective way for transfer of optical vortices. In a four-level atomic system, two strong fields are applied to form a Λ-type subsystem while two probe fields couple to the other cascade transitions. It is found that the optical vortex of a control field can be transferred to a generated probe beam based on four-wave mixing processes, wherein the one-photon detuning plays an important role in minimizing the losses. On the other hand, when the control fields have no vortices, the transfer is realized between two probe beams for intermediate values of atomic coherence induced by the Raman process, vanishing both for the minimal value 0 and for the maximal values ±0.5. We have also analyzed the spatial structures of the propagating probe beams with optical vortices at the entrance, displaying that the information of winding numbers is hidden behind the intensity distributions and corresponding phase patterns. This may find potential applications in quantum information storage.

Laser Physics Letters•Feb 14, 2022•3 citations

Lossless nonreciprocity using dual-Raman interference

Lifeng Liu, Yifan Zhan, Shicheng Zhang +2 more

Atomic absorption-induced insertion loss poses a fundamental limitation on signal transmission in optical nonreciprocity (ONR) systems. We propose a lossless and magnetic-field-free ONR scheme based on dual-Raman interference in two far-detuned Λ-type three-level systems. In the forward direction, destructive interference cancels the imaginary part of the susceptibility while retaining a large phase shift, enabling absorption-free transmission. In contrast, Doppler shifts arising from atomic thermal motion disrupt the Raman resonances in the backward direction, suppressing both absorption and phase modulation. This direction-dependent optical response yields nonreciprocal phase shifts which, when implemented in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, enable an optical isolator with 100% forward transmittance and an isolation of up to 37 dB.

Optics Express•Oct 15, 2025•2 citations

Nonreciprocal transmission of multi-band optical signals in thermal atomic systems

Shengfa Fan, Yihong Qi, Yueping Niu +1 more

Multi-band signal propagation and processing play an important role in quantum communications and quantum computing.In recent years, optical nonreciprocal devices such as an optical isolator and circulator are proposed via various configurations of atoms, metamaterials, nonlinear waveguides, etc.In this work, we investigate all-optical controlled nonreciprocity of multi-band optical signals in thermal atomic systems.Via introducing multiple strong coupling fields, nonreciprocal propagation of the probe field can happen at some separated frequency bands, which results from combination of the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect and atomic thermal motion.In the proposed configuration, the frequency shift resulting from atomic thermal motion takes converse effect on the probe field in the two opposite directions.In this way, the probe field can propagate almost transparently within some frequency bands of EIT windows in the opposite direction of the coupling fields.However, it is well blocked within the considered frequency region in the same direction of the coupling fields because of destruction of the EIT.Such selectable optical nonreciprocity and isolation for discrete signals may be greatly useful in controlling signal transmission and realizing selective optical isolation functions.

Chinese Optics Letters•Nov 11, 2021•6 citations

Narrowband nonreciprocal transmission in a Doppler-broadened multilevel atomic system

Ying-Xue Zhang, Hui-Min Zhao, Yan-Kui Bai

We theoretically investigate narrowband nonreciprocal transmission in a Doppler-broadened five-level M-type atomic medium. After Doppler averaging, the M-type system retains a narrow near-resonant electromagnetically induced transparency window that is narrower than that of a standard three-level $Λ$ system. This spectral narrowing is associated with the decreasing separation between the two inner dressed states as atomic velocity increases. The transparency window exhibits pronounced direction-dependent transmission, with high forward transmission and strong suppression in the reverse direction. The transparency linewidth and forward-backward probe transmission can be controlled via two independent driving fields, while the central transparency frequency is kept essentially unchanged. The resulting narrowband nonreciprocity supports high forward transmission together with strong suppression in the reverse direction, which is suitable for frequency-selective optical filtering and nonreciprocal optical transmission in thermal atomic media. Our scheme with these specific features is geared towards enabling compact vapor-cell-based nonreciprocal devices for quantum network applications.

quant-pharXiv:2610.27792•Oct 21, 2026•0 citations

High-fidelity nonreciprocal transmission of OAM superstates

jiedong Zhang, Xicheng Zhang, Shangqing Gong +1 more

Harnessing light that carries orbital angular momentum (OAM) could dramatically boost the capacity of optical communication and high-dimensional signal processing. A particularly desirable but difficult goal is nonreciprocal transmission—allowing such twisted light beams to travel efficiently in one direction while blocking them in the reverse direction. This challenge is especially acute in hot atomic systems, where random thermal motion blurs the delicate intensity patterns of OAM superstates. Here, we show that incoherent optical pumping can effectively suppress these thermal effects, thereby enabling robust nonreciprocal transmission of OAM superstates. We achieve a forward transmission of 85%, a backward isolation of 22.7 dB, and a measurement accuracy exceeding 99.9% for distinguishing OAM superstates separated by only 0.01 in topological charge. We further verify the overall performance of the nonreciprocal system by transmitting a grayscale image, obtaining a bit error rate below 0.07%. Our results establish a flexible and scalable platform for nonreciprocal high-dimensional OAM photonics, offering promising routes toward advanced optical communications and quantum information processing.

Optica•Jun 15, 2026•1 citation

Ultra-strong nonreciprocal amplification with hot atoms

Hang Zhou Yang, Shicheng Zhang, Yueping Niu +1 more

Optical nonreciprocity plays an important role in optical communication and signal processing. Here, we propose and demonstrate a magnetic-free optical nonreciprocal amplification based on a far-detuned four-wave mixing process in hot atoms. The absorption of the probe field can be significantly reduced by the large detuning. In our experiment, with just one pump field, an ultra-strong forward gain of 45 dB is achieved while the backward one keeps a near unit transmission. The experimental realization of ultra-strong nonreciprocal amplification may have applications for the generation of strong nonreciprocal quantum correlations.

Optics Communications•Mar 16, 2022•7 citations
Abstract Vortex beams have important applications in a number of physical fields such as optical information processing, optical imaging, etc. Nonreciprocal propagation of light often plays a key role in some occasions in these applications. In this work, we investigate the nonreciprocal propagation of a vortex beam using a far-off resonant Raman process in a Λ -type three-level thermal atomic system. The probe vortex can propagate with high transmission in the backward direction and be well isolated in the forward direction. Via adjusting the strong control field and the atom temperature, the forward transmission of the probe vortex can be further suppressed, and higher isolation can be achieved under the use of a controlled vortex with the same orbital angular momentum. This work may provide reference for experimental studies on the nonreciprocal transmission of vortex beams and find applications in vortex isolators and circulators.
Abstract We explore the concept that the Raman process can be used as an effective way for transfer of optical vortices. In a four-level atomic system, two strong fields are applied to form a Λ-type subsystem while two probe fields couple to the other cascade transitions. It is found that the optical vortex of a control field can be transferred to a generated probe beam based on four-wave mixing processes, wherein the one-photon detuning plays an important role in minimizing the losses. On the other hand, when the control fields have no vortices, the transfer is realized between two probe beams for intermediate values of atomic coherence induced by the Raman process, vanishing both for the minimal value 0 and for the maximal values ±0.5. We have also analyzed the spatial structures of the propagating probe beams with optical vortices at the entrance, displaying that the information of winding numbers is hidden behind the intensity distributions and corresponding phase patterns. This may find potential applications in quantum information storage.
Atomic absorption-induced insertion loss poses a fundamental limitation on signal transmission in optical nonreciprocity (ONR) systems. We propose a lossless and magnetic-field-free ONR scheme based on dual-Raman interference in two far-detuned Λ-type three-level systems. In the forward direction, destructive interference cancels the imaginary part of the susceptibility while retaining a large phase shift, enabling absorption-free transmission. In contrast, Doppler shifts arising from atomic thermal motion disrupt the Raman resonances in the backward direction, suppressing both absorption and phase modulation. This direction-dependent optical response yields nonreciprocal phase shifts which, when implemented in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, enable an optical isolator with 100% forward transmittance and an isolation of up to 37 dB.
Multi-band signal propagation and processing play an important role in quantum communications and quantum computing.In recent years, optical nonreciprocal devices such as an optical isolator and circulator are proposed via various configurations of atoms, metamaterials, nonlinear waveguides, etc.In this work, we investigate all-optical controlled nonreciprocity of multi-band optical signals in thermal atomic systems.Via introducing multiple strong coupling fields, nonreciprocal propagation of the probe field can happen at some separated frequency bands, which results from combination of the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect and atomic thermal motion.In the proposed configuration, the frequency shift resulting from atomic thermal motion takes converse effect on the probe field in the two opposite directions.In this way, the probe field can propagate almost transparently within some frequency bands of EIT windows in the opposite direction of the coupling fields.However, it is well blocked within the considered frequency region in the same direction of the coupling fields because of destruction of the EIT.Such selectable optical nonreciprocity and isolation for discrete signals may be greatly useful in controlling signal transmission and realizing selective optical isolation functions.
We theoretically investigate narrowband nonreciprocal transmission in a Doppler-broadened five-level M-type atomic medium. After Doppler averaging, the M-type system retains a narrow near-resonant electromagnetically induced transparency window that is narrower than that of a standard three-level ΛΛΛ system. This spectral narrowing is associated with the decreasing separation between the two inner dressed states as atomic velocity increases. The transparency window exhibits pronounced direction-dependent transmission, with high forward transmission and strong suppression in the reverse direction. The transparency linewidth and forward-backward probe transmission can be controlled via two independent driving fields, while the central transparency frequency is kept essentially unchanged. The resulting narrowband nonreciprocity supports high forward transmission together with strong suppression in the reverse direction, which is suitable for frequency-selective optical filtering and nonreciprocal optical transmission in thermal atomic media. Our scheme with these specific features is geared towards enabling compact vapor-cell-based nonreciprocal devices for quantum network applications.
Harnessing light that carries orbital angular momentum (OAM) could dramatically boost the capacity of optical communication and high-dimensional signal processing. A particularly desirable but difficult goal is nonreciprocal transmission—allowing such twisted light beams to travel efficiently in one direction while blocking them in the reverse direction. This challenge is especially acute in hot atomic systems, where random thermal motion blurs the delicate intensity patterns of OAM superstates. Here, we show that incoherent optical pumping can effectively suppress these thermal effects, thereby enabling robust nonreciprocal transmission of OAM superstates. We achieve a forward transmission of 85%, a backward isolation of 22.7 dB, and a measurement accuracy exceeding 99.9% for distinguishing OAM superstates separated by only 0.01 in topological charge. We further verify the overall performance of the nonreciprocal system by transmitting a grayscale image, obtaining a bit error rate below 0.07%. Our results establish a flexible and scalable platform for nonreciprocal high-dimensional OAM photonics, offering promising routes toward advanced optical communications and quantum information processing.
Optical nonreciprocity plays an important role in optical communication and signal processing. Here, we propose and demonstrate a magnetic-free optical nonreciprocal amplification based on a far-detuned four-wave mixing process in hot atoms. The absorption of the probe field can be significantly reduced by the large detuning. In our experiment, with just one pump field, an ultra-strong forward gain of 45 dB is achieved while the backward one keeps a near unit transmission. The experimental realization of ultra-strong nonreciprocal amplification may have applications for the generation of strong nonreciprocal quantum correlations.