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Annalen der Physik

Optical Lattice‐Induced Polarization State Modulation of Vector Vortex Fields

Sijia Hui, Zhiyu Hu, Zhiguo Wang, Penghang Xu, Yanpeng Zhang

Published Oct 17, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Vector vortex beams, featuring spatially structured polarization states and helical phase fronts, emerge as a critical solution for enhancing optical information capacity beyond the constraints of traditional communication paradigms. In this paper, a coherent modulation strategy is established for creating two dimension (2D) vector vortex far‐field diffraction arrays through light‐atom interactions under electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). A dynamically reconfigurable optical lattice is engineered via interference between a Gaussian‐coupled field and a vortex‐coupled field with adjustable topological charge. The atomic medium, when subjected to this lattice modulation, facilitates the diffraction of probe vector light fields into high‐order vector vortex diffracted spots. This system enables multi‐parameter tuning to significantly enhance diffraction efficiency. Results demonstrate that Comprehensive optimization of coupling field intensity, interference beam power distribution, and frequency detuning significantly enhances the relative diffraction efficiency. Moreover, the polarization state distribution of diffraction fields can be reconfigured by controlling optical lattice topological charges. This atomic medium‐based optical lattice modulation framework offers flexibility in tailoring structured light arrays, bridging fundamental studies of structured light‐matter interactions with advanced applications in high‐dimensional optical encoding, quantum state engineering, and multifunctional optical manipulation systems.

DOI
10.1002/andp.202500317

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Abstract The array of coupled optical waveguides, which is also viewed as a photonic lattice, can exhibit abundant photonic band structures depending on the desired spatial arrangements of involved waveguides. Studies of photonic lattices are usually performed in solid‐state materials, where the required periodic susceptibilities can be achieved by employing the femtosecond laser direct‐writing or optical induction method, and have spawned flourishing achievements in manipulating the behaviors of light. Recently, the concept of electromagnetically induced photonic lattice (EIPL) is proposed under the well‐known electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in coherently prepared multilevel alkali‐metal atomic systems, where the strong coupling beams producing EIT possess spatially periodic intensity profiles. The inherited instantaneous tunability of susceptibility from EIT‐modulated atomic coherence allows for the easy reconfigurability of EIPLs, which gives rise to exotic beam dynamics under such a readily controllable framework. This paper summarizes the historical overview and recent advances of the in situ and all‐optically reconfigurable EIPLs. The Introduction section provides the scheme and formation of the EIPL via atomic coherence. The following sections review the recently demonstrated dynamical properties of light in various 1D and 2D EIPLs and in compound EIPLs built by two coupling fields. The final section gives brief concluding remarks.
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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.
Abstract We propose an atomic grating based on an electromagnetically induced transparency phenomenon that switches between zeroth-order diffraction to a distinct higher-order diffraction pattern by driving a planar gaseous medium of a four-level tripod ( ⋔ ) atoms with three laser beams: modulation of standing wave control beam propagating nearly perpendicular to the planar medium, while vortex and weak plane probe beams directed perpendicular to the medium. We numerically investigate the behavior of the amplitude, phase modulations, and probe field diffraction intensities of different orders by the variation of the field detunings and orbital angular momentum number of the composite vortex light beam. Specifically, in the off-resonant case, the interplay between a square lattice of the control and an additional spatial variation of the vortex beam allows the emergence of higher diffraction orders and variable gain due to double transparency windows in this complex optical system. We believe that our proposed scheme might be useful in optical memory devices via the storage of information to diffraction orders of the atomic grating.