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Physica Scripta

A compact magnetic-free optical isolator

De-Kang Chai, Jiangbin Zheng, G N Chen, Zhu-Bo Wang, Yan-Lei Zhang, Chun‐Hua Dong, Chang‐Ling Zou, Guo G, Ming-Yong Ye, Gong-Wei Lin, 林秀敏 LIN Xiu-min

Published Jun 2, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Current commercial optical isolators (OIs) primarily rely on the Faraday effect in magneto-optical materials, which necessitates the use of external magnetic fields. Here, we report a passive OI constructed from compact, commercially available optical components and an atomic vapor cell, which does not require a biasing magnetic field or any external drive, and only requires that the intensity of the forward beam is higher than that of the backward beam, which is very easy to satisfy in isolator applications. Operating at 795 nm, this device uses the principle of nonlinear non-reciprocity to achieve a bandwidth of 6 GHz and an isolation ratio greater than 30 dB.

DOI
10.1088/1402-4896/ae7663

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Abstract Current commercial optical isolators (OIs) primarily rely on the Faraday effect in magneto-optical materials, which necessitates the use of external magnetic fields. Here, we report a passive OI constructed from compact, commercially available optical components and an atomic vapor cell, which does not require a biasing magnetic field or any external drive, and only requires that the intensity of the forward beam is higher than that of the backward beam, which is very easy to satisfy in isolator applications. Operating at 795 nm, this device uses the principle of nonlinear non-reciprocity to achieve a bandwidth of 6 GHz and an isolation ratio greater than 30 dB.
Achieving a broadband nonreciprocal device without gain and any external bias is very challenging and highly desirable for modern photonic technologies and quantum networks. Here we theoretically propose a passive and magnetic-free all-optical isolator for a femtosecond laser pulse by exploiting a new mechanism of unidirectional self-induced transparency, obtained with a nonlinear medium followed by a normal absorbing medium at one side. The transmission contrast between the forward and backward directions can reach 14.3 dB for a 2π - 5 fs laser pulse. The 20 dB bandwidth is about 56 nm, already comparable with a magneto-optical isolator. This work provides a new mechanism which may benefit non-magnetic isolation of ultrashort laser pulses.
Magnetic-free optical isolators are critical components for the realization of integrated optical systems. The underlying physics of passive nonlinear optical isolators is not solely about breaking the Lorentz reciprocity without requiring any external bias. Indeed, one major obstacle to the operation of self-Kerr-type nonlinear optical isolators is the so-called dynamic reciprocity, of which a serious outcome is that a backward signal cannot be isolated in the presence of a forward strong signal. In this work, we advocate the concept of velocity-selective nonlinearity to bypass such dynamic reciprocity. Using a proof-of-principle platform with warm rubidium atoms in an asymmetric cavity, we experimentally achieve the isolation of a backward signal in the presence of a strong forward signal, with experimental observations in agreement with our theoretical simulations. This work has thus made one essential step towards functioning Kerr-type passive optical isolators.
Abstract The realization of optical non-reciprocity is crucial for many applications, and also of fundamental importance for manipulating and protecting the photons with desired time-reversal symmetry. Recently, various new mechanisms of magnetic-free non-reciprocity have been proposed and implemented, avoiding the limitation of the strong magnetic field imposed by the Faraday effect. However, due to the difficulties in separating the signal photons from the drive laser and the noise photons induced by the drive laser, these devices exhibit limited isolation performances and their quantum noise properties are rarely studied. Here, we demonstrate an approach of magnetic-free non-reciprocity by optically-induced magnetization in an atom ensemble. Excellent isolation (highest isolation ratio is 51.5−2.5+6.5 dB51.{5}_{-2.5}^{+6.5}\ {\rm{dB}}51.5−2.5+6.5​ dB 51 . 5 − 2.5 + 6.5 dB ) is observed over a power dynamic range of 7 orders of magnitude, with the noiseless property verified by quantum statistics measurements. The approach is applicable to other atoms and atom-like emitters, paving the way for future studies of integrated photonic non-reciprocal devices.
Optical nonreciprocity is an essential property for a wide range of applications, such as building nonreciprocal optical devices that include isolators and circulators. The realization of optical nonreciprocity relies on breaking the symmetry associated with Lorentz reciprocity, which typically requires stringent conditions such as introducing a strong magnetic field or a high-finesse cavity with nonreciprocal coupling geometry. Here we discover that the collision effect of thermal atoms, which is undesirable for most studies, can induce broadband optical nonreciprocity. By exploiting the thermal atomic collision, we experimentally observe magnet-free and cavity-free optical nonreciprocity, which possesses a high isolation ratio, ultrabroad bandwidth, and low insertion loss simultaneously. The maximum isolation ratio is close to 40 dB, while the insertion loss is less than 1 dB. The bandwidth for an isolation ratio exceeding 20 dB is over 1.2 GHz, which is 2 orders of magnitude broader than typical resonance-enhanced optical isolators. Our work paves the way for the realization of high-performance optical nonreciprocal devices and provides opportunities for applications in integrated optics and quantum networks.
The realization of optical non-reciprocity is crucial for many applications, and also of fundamental importance for manipulating and protecting the photons with desired time-reversal symmetry. Recently, various new mechanisms of magnetic-free non-reciprocity have been proposed and implemented, avoiding the limitation of the strong magnetic field imposed by the Faraday effect. However, due to the difficulties in separating the signal photons from the drive laser and the noise photons induced by the drive laser, these devices exhibit limited isolation performances and their quantum noise properties are rarely studied. Here, we demonstrate an approach of magnetic-free non-reciprocity by optically-induced magnetization in an atom ensemble. Excellent isolation (highest isolation ratio is [Formula: see text]) is observed over a power dynamic range of 7 orders of magnitude, with the noiseless property verified by quantum statistics measurements. The approach is applicable to other atoms and atom-like emitters, paving the way for future studies of integrated photonic non-reciprocal devices.
Abstract Nonreciprocal devices, such as isolators, are of great importance for optical communication and optical information processing. To bypass the limitation of a strong magnetic field imposed by the traditional Faraday magneto-optic effect, many alternative mechanisms have been proposed to demonstrate magnetic-free nonreciprocity. However, limited by the drive-induced noise, the noiseless isolator capable of working in the quantum regime has yet to be realized in the experiment. Here, we show a noiseless all-optical isolator with genuine single photons in hot atoms. We experimentally study this mechanism using an open V-type level scheme and demonstrate a low insertion loss of 0.6 dB and high isolation of 30.3 dB with bandwidth up to hundreds of megahertz. Furthermore, the nonreciprocal direction can be truly reversed only by tuning the frequency of the pump laser with the same setup. Our scheme relies on widely used optical technology and is thus universal and robust.