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

Optics Letters

Laser Q-switching based on electromagnetically induced transparency

Chunxiao Zhou, Jiajun Liu, Miaodi Guo, Binfang Cao, Xue Fu Shang

Published Nov 3, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Laser Q-switching is a critical technique that enables periodic modulation of cavity loss and has been widely used to generate giant laser pulses. In this paper, an innovative active Q-switching laser model based on the mechanism of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is proposed. The system utilizes a three-level atomic system that interacts with both the cavity mode and an external strong coupling field, acting as a dynamically tunable loss medium. By controlling the coupling field intensity, the cavity loss can be dynamically modulated due to the EIT effect, thereby achieving active Q-switching operation. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the threshold inversion population is reduced by more than one order of magnitude during EIT activation, which indicates the feasibility of this kind of Q-switching.

DOI
10.1364/ol.572854

Related papers

All-optical switching via enhanced Kerr nonlinearity in three-level atoms

Hai Wang, David J. Goorskey, Min Xiao

Summary form only given. The reduced absorption and enhanced nonlinearity in a three-level electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) system are very important in achieving an effective all-optical switching action. The Kerr-nonlinear index of refraction of a three-level EIT medium can be greatly enhanced near resonance due to atomic coherence induced in such a system in comparison with a two-level atomic system, as we have shown by using an optical ring cavity. Both the magnitude and sign of the Kerr-nonlinear index change dramatically for different frequency detunings of the controlling (or coupling) or cavity (or probe) field. Bistability and dynamic instability occur when such a three-level /spl Lambda/-type EIT system is placed inside an optical ring cavity and the controlling and cavity input intensities to exceed certain threshold values. In this paper, we present a recent experimental demonstration of controlling the cavity output intensity by modulating the frequency detuning of the controlling beam.

Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference•Jun 25, 2003•0 citations

Coherent control of the polarization of optical pulses using electromagnetically induced transparency

Daisuke Fujishima, Masahiro Takeoka, Fumihiko Kannari

Summary form only given. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) refers to a phenomenon, whereby the optically resonant transition is rendered nearly transparent by applying a strong coupling laser field. The mechanism of EIT is usually explained in terms of quantum coherence or quantum interference. This EIT has attracted increasing interest because absorption associated with nonlinear optical processes can be removed. In the typical three-level /spl lambda/-system, which includes the ground state and the metastable state, when the atomic population is prepared in the superposition of the states by the coupling fields, the optical response of the media to the probe field is significantly modified. Since this is a coherent control of an electric field by another field via the atomic coherence, several schemes to control light coherently have been suggested. We propose an optical coherent control scheme of the polarization of optical pulses using the EIT quantum coherence, and numerically study its applicability to fast optical switching.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Aug 29, 2005•0 citations

All-optical switching in a medium of a four-level vee-cascade atomic medium

Khoa Dinh Xuan, Ai Nguyen Van, Dong Hoang Minh +2 more

Abstract We proposed a model for all-optical switching in a medium consisting of four-level vee-cascade atomic systems excited by coupling, probe, and signal fields. It is shown that, by changing the intensity or the frequency of the signal field, the medium can be actively switched between either electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) or electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA), which has behavior of all-optical switching. As a result, a cw probe field is switched into square pulses by modulating the intensity or the frequency of the signal light. Furthermore, width of the square probe pulses can be controlled by tuning the switching period of the signal field. Such a tuneable all-optical switching is useful for finding related applications in optic communications and optical storage devices.

Optical and Quantum Electronics•Feb 16, 2022•12 citations

Broadband cavity electromagnetically induced transparency

Xiaogang Wei, Yanhua Wang, Jiepeng Zhang +1 more

Cavity electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is created in a three-level atomic system confined in a cavity and coupled to a free-space control laser and is manifested as a narrow transmission peak of a probe laser coupled into the cavity mode and tuned to the two-photon Raman resonance with the control laser. Cavity EIT can be observed with a control laser detuned from the atomic transition frequency in a range limited by the vacuum Rabi splitting of two cavity-atom normal modes. This leads to the broadband cavity EIT obtained in the coupled-cavity-atom system with a free-space, broadband control laser. We report an experimental observation of broadband cavity EIT in cold Rb atoms with a frequency-modulated control laser and discuss its application in multichannel and multifrequency light memory.

Physical Review A•Oct 20, 2011•10 citations

Controllable double electromagnetically induced transparency in a closed four-level-loop cavity–atom system

Miaodi Guo, Xue-Mei Su

We present a theoretical study of an optical cavity coupled with single four-level atoms in closed loop formed via applied control lasers. The transmitted probe field from the cavity is analyzed. We show that the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in the cavity and the normal mode splitting will be very different with changing the closed interaction phase and the intensity of the free-space control laser. This coupled cavity–atom system presents a variational double-EIT that comes from modulating the splitting of the dark state, which means that we could realize the gradual transfer between one EIT peak and two EIT peaks by adjusting the applied control lasers, and the normal mode splitting sidebands will shift slightly by changing the free-space control laser. This means that we could control the output cavity probe field more freely and it is easer to realize optical switch controlled by more parameters. We also depict the angular dispersion of the intracavity probe field in different free-space control laser. The large phase shift ( ) of the reflected intracavity probe field will be very useful for optical temporal differentiation and quantum phase gate.

Chinese Physics B•Jun 1, 2017•3 citations

Electromagnetically induced transparency metamaterials: theories, designs and applications

Lei Zhu, Liang Dong

Abstract Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) stems from a quantum system, where an opaque atomic medium appears the narrow transparent state within a wide absorption area. This phenomenon can be achieved by quantum interference of pumping light and detecting light at different energy levels of transitions. In the generation process of EIT effect, in addition to transparent state, the atomic medium is usually accompanied with a strong dispersion effect, which will bright about a significant reduction of light velocity, thus realizing many important applications, such as slow light propagations. Although the EIT effect has many important applications, its application scenarios are greatly limited due to the fact that EIT realization usually requires specific and complicated conditions, such as refrigeration temperature, high intensity laser, etc. Recently, the analogue of EIT effect in metamaterial has attracted increasing attentions due to its advantages such as controllable room temperature and large operating bandwidth. Metamaterial analogue of EIT effect has become a new research focus. In this article, we review current research progresses on EIT metamaterials. Firstly, we describe the theoretical models for analyzing EIT metamaterials, including the mechanical oscillator model and the equivalent circuit model. Then, we describe the simulations, designs and experiments of passive EIT metamaterials with fixed structures and active EIT metamaterials with tunable elements. Furthermore, the applications of EIT metamaterials in the areas of slow lights, sensings, absorptions and other fields are also reviewed. Finally, the possible directions and key issues of future EIT metamaterial researches are prospected.

Journal of Physics D Applied Physics•Mar 25, 2022•59 citations
Laser Q-switching is a critical technique that enables periodic modulation of cavity loss and has been widely used to generate giant laser pulses. In this paper, an innovative active Q-switching laser model based on the mechanism of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is proposed. The system utilizes a three-level atomic system that interacts with both the cavity mode and an external strong coupling field, acting as a dynamically tunable loss medium. By controlling the coupling field intensity, the cavity loss can be dynamically modulated due to the EIT effect, thereby achieving active Q-switching operation. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the threshold inversion population is reduced by more than one order of magnitude during EIT activation, which indicates the feasibility of this kind of Q-switching.
Summary form only given. The reduced absorption and enhanced nonlinearity in a three-level electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) system are very important in achieving an effective all-optical switching action. The Kerr-nonlinear index of refraction of a three-level EIT medium can be greatly enhanced near resonance due to atomic coherence induced in such a system in comparison with a two-level atomic system, as we have shown by using an optical ring cavity. Both the magnitude and sign of the Kerr-nonlinear index change dramatically for different frequency detunings of the controlling (or coupling) or cavity (or probe) field. Bistability and dynamic instability occur when such a three-level /spl Lambda/-type EIT system is placed inside an optical ring cavity and the controlling and cavity input intensities to exceed certain threshold values. In this paper, we present a recent experimental demonstration of controlling the cavity output intensity by modulating the frequency detuning of the controlling beam.
Summary form only given. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) refers to a phenomenon, whereby the optically resonant transition is rendered nearly transparent by applying a strong coupling laser field. The mechanism of EIT is usually explained in terms of quantum coherence or quantum interference. This EIT has attracted increasing interest because absorption associated with nonlinear optical processes can be removed. In the typical three-level /spl lambda/-system, which includes the ground state and the metastable state, when the atomic population is prepared in the superposition of the states by the coupling fields, the optical response of the media to the probe field is significantly modified. Since this is a coherent control of an electric field by another field via the atomic coherence, several schemes to control light coherently have been suggested. We propose an optical coherent control scheme of the polarization of optical pulses using the EIT quantum coherence, and numerically study its applicability to fast optical switching.
Abstract We proposed a model for all-optical switching in a medium consisting of four-level vee-cascade atomic systems excited by coupling, probe, and signal fields. It is shown that, by changing the intensity or the frequency of the signal field, the medium can be actively switched between either electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) or electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA), which has behavior of all-optical switching. As a result, a cw probe field is switched into square pulses by modulating the intensity or the frequency of the signal light. Furthermore, width of the square probe pulses can be controlled by tuning the switching period of the signal field. Such a tuneable all-optical switching is useful for finding related applications in optic communications and optical storage devices.
Cavity electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is created in a three-level atomic system confined in a cavity and coupled to a free-space control laser and is manifested as a narrow transmission peak of a probe laser coupled into the cavity mode and tuned to the two-photon Raman resonance with the control laser. Cavity EIT can be observed with a control laser detuned from the atomic transition frequency in a range limited by the vacuum Rabi splitting of two cavity-atom normal modes. This leads to the broadband cavity EIT obtained in the coupled-cavity-atom system with a free-space, broadband control laser. We report an experimental observation of broadband cavity EIT in cold Rb atoms with a frequency-modulated control laser and discuss its application in multichannel and multifrequency light memory.
We present a theoretical study of an optical cavity coupled with single four-level atoms in closed loop formed via applied control lasers. The transmitted probe field from the cavity is analyzed. We show that the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in the cavity and the normal mode splitting will be very different with changing the closed interaction phase and the intensity of the free-space control laser. This coupled cavity–atom system presents a variational double-EIT that comes from modulating the splitting of the dark state, which means that we could realize the gradual transfer between one EIT peak and two EIT peaks by adjusting the applied control lasers, and the normal mode splitting sidebands will shift slightly by changing the free-space control laser. This means that we could control the output cavity probe field more freely and it is easer to realize optical switch controlled by more parameters. We also depict the angular dispersion of the intracavity probe field in different free-space control laser. The large phase shift ( ) of the reflected intracavity probe field will be very useful for optical temporal differentiation and quantum phase gate.
Abstract Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) stems from a quantum system, where an opaque atomic medium appears the narrow transparent state within a wide absorption area. This phenomenon can be achieved by quantum interference of pumping light and detecting light at different energy levels of transitions. In the generation process of EIT effect, in addition to transparent state, the atomic medium is usually accompanied with a strong dispersion effect, which will bright about a significant reduction of light velocity, thus realizing many important applications, such as slow light propagations. Although the EIT effect has many important applications, its application scenarios are greatly limited due to the fact that EIT realization usually requires specific and complicated conditions, such as refrigeration temperature, high intensity laser, etc. Recently, the analogue of EIT effect in metamaterial has attracted increasing attentions due to its advantages such as controllable room temperature and large operating bandwidth. Metamaterial analogue of EIT effect has become a new research focus. In this article, we review current research progresses on EIT metamaterials. Firstly, we describe the theoretical models for analyzing EIT metamaterials, including the mechanical oscillator model and the equivalent circuit model. Then, we describe the simulations, designs and experiments of passive EIT metamaterials with fixed structures and active EIT metamaterials with tunable elements. Furthermore, the applications of EIT metamaterials in the areas of slow lights, sensings, absorptions and other fields are also reviewed. Finally, the possible directions and key issues of future EIT metamaterial researches are prospected.