The Construction and Characterization of a Magneto-Optical Trap for Rubidium-87 and Electromagnetically-Induced Transparency in Rubidium-87 in a Vapor Cell

Yu Liu

Published Jan 1, 2014• 0 citations

Abstract

Recent years have observed fast developments in neutral atomic vapor based quantum information storage technology. The technique utilizes light fields in the optical wavelength region as signal carrier and retriever and neutral atomic systems (e.g. single atoms, ensembles of atoms, atom-like defects in solids) as storage media. Photons are robust carriers of information due to their high velocity (c = 2.998 x 108 m/s) and ease of transportation (they propagate rectilinearly with low loss). Their high mobility, however, makes it a challenging task to spatially localize and therefore store them. Atoms (or atom-like systems), on the other hand, can be easily localized in space while providing quantum states accessible to photons and therefore are ideal candidates for storage media. Electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) is a light-induced atomic coherence phenomenon that dramatically modifies the optical properties of an atomic medium to a weak probe field by the application of a strong coupling field. As a probe pulse propagates in an EIT medium it experiences ultraslow group velocity and generates a copropagating spin wave. These consequences of EIT can be exploited for light pulse storage and retrieval in an atomic medium.

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