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Dynamics of Electromagnetically Induced Transparency Optical Kerr nonlinearities

Michael Vern Pack

Published Dec 1, 2007• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

This thesis presents theoretical derivations and experimental demonstrations of Kerr optical nonlinearities and their dynamics. The Kerr nonlinearity studied is based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), and is known for having an unusually large cross-phase modulation (XPM) [1]. Also, quantum nondemolition (QND) measurements of photon number using the EIT Kerr nonlinearity are discussed. We first discuss the EIT line shapes in hot atomic vapors both with and without buffer gasses, and for the specific case of EIT line shapes on the D1 line of rubidium. Using a Bloch-vector formalism to describe EIT, we derive new expressions describing the dynamical evolution of the EIT Kerr nonlinearity and the rise-time of the EIT Kerr effect. The theory of the EIT Kerr dynamics is confirmed by experiments using hot rubidium vapor in a buffer gas. These experimental observations confirm that the rise-time of the EIT Kerr effect is linearly proportional to the optical thickness of the EIT medium and inversely proportional to the width of the EIT transparency resonance.

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This thesis presents theoretical derivations and experimental demonstrations of Kerr optical nonlinearities and their dynamics. The Kerr nonlinearity studied is based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), and is known for having an unusually large cross-phase modulation (XPM) [1]. Also, quantum nondemolition (QND) measurements of photon number using the EIT Kerr nonlinearity are discussed. We first discuss the EIT line shapes in hot atomic vapors both with and without buffer gasses, and for the specific case of EIT line shapes on the D1 line of rubidium. Using a Bloch-vector formalism to describe EIT, we derive new expressions describing the dynamical evolution of the EIT Kerr nonlinearity and the rise-time of the EIT Kerr effect. The theory of the EIT Kerr dynamics is confirmed by experiments using hot rubidium vapor in a buffer gas. These experimental observations confirm that the rise-time of the EIT Kerr effect is linearly proportional to the optical thickness of the EIT medium and inversely proportional to the width of the EIT transparency resonance.
We present a theory describing the transients and rise times of the refractive Kerr nonlinearity which is enhanced using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). We restrict our analysis to the case of a pulsed signal field with continuous-wave EIT fields, and all fields are well below saturation. These restrictions enable the reduction of an EIT Kerr, four-level, density-matrix equation to a two-level Bloch-vector equation which has a simple and physically intuitive algebraic solution. The physically intuitive picture of a two-level Bloch vector provides insights that are easily generalized to more complex and experimentally realistic models. We consider generalization to the cases of Doppler broadening, many-level EIT systems (we consider the D1D1D1 line of 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb), and optically thick media. For the case of optically thick media we find that the rise time of the refractive EIT Kerr effect is proportional to the optical thickness. The rise time of the refractive EIT Kerr effect sets important limitations for potential few-photon applications.
In third order nonlinear mediums, the intensity of one optical field can modify the phase of another optical field. This is known as cross-phase modulation (XPM) and is important for Quantum Information Processing (QIP) as phase shifts of single-photons that exceed π rad can be used to implement two-qubit quantum logic gates. For a conventional XPM scheme, the Kerr nonlinearity responsible for XPM is too small for appreciable phase shifts to be achieved with low intensity optical fields. However, Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) can increase this nonlinearity by several orders of magnitude. This thesis discusses the experimental construction of a laser-atomic system capable of EIT modulated XPM. This includes construction of a rubidium magneto-optical trap (RbMOT), characterization of this RbMOT, demonstration of EIT in the RbMOT, and a system capable of detecting optical phase shifts produced by EIT. The talk will conclude with an outlook on further implementations to the experiment that will increase this nonlinearity such that phase shifts at the single-photon level are possible. | 76 pages
We report observations of the dynamics of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ system when the ground states are Stark shifted. Interactions of this type exhibit large optical nonlinearities called Kerr nonlinearities, and have numerous applications. The EIT Kerr nonlinearity is relatively slow, which is a limiting factor that may make many potential applications impossible. Using rubidium atoms, we observe the dynamics of the EIT Kerr nonlinearity using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer to measure phase modulation of the EIT fields resulting from a pulsed signal beam Stark shifting the ground state energy levels. The rise times and transients agree well with theory.
Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) has become an invaluable resource for numerous applications in quantum information theory, fundamental physics, nonlinear optics and precision metrology. This thesis is concerned with an extension to EIT: double- EIT, in which two separate optical fields experience EIT due to a coherence between a common ground state. Double EIT has appeared as the basis for a number of theoretical proposals but has yet to be demonstrated and analyzed experimentally. In this thesis, a double-EIT system is experimentally implemented and analyzed, using a hot vapor of rubidium-87 atoms. The interplay between the two signal fields is studied and properties are found to emerge which may prove useful for application. An application of double EIT which in principle allows large nonlinear interactions between light pulses as low as several photons per atomic cross section is discussed. Progress towards a physical demonstration of this effect is reported and prospects for further work in this direction are then described.
A four-level inverted-Y scheme with an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) core is investigated for the enhancement of cross-Kerr effect in rubidium atoms. When detunings of the coupling and control fields are appropriately set, an enhanced EIT window is observed, and the induced phase shift of the probe field due to cross-phase modulation (XPM) is obtained by measuring the dispersive property of the probe transition. The maximal XPM phase shift is about 12° under the current experimental conditions. The experimental measurements agree well with the theoretical calculations. The enhanced XPM phase shift in such an atomic system has applications in quantum nonlinear optics and quantum information science.