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arXiv:quant-ph/0207141 · Optics Letters

Enhancement of Kerr nonlinearity by multiphoton coherence

Andrey B. Matsko, Irina V. Novikova, George R. Welch, Muhammad Suhail Zubairy

Published Jan 15, 2003• 124 citations
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Abstract

We propose a new method of resonant enhancement of optical Kerr nonlinearity that uses multilevel atomic coherence. The enhancement is accompanied by suppression of the other linear and nonlinear susceptibility terms of the medium. We show that the effect results in a modification of the nonlinear Faraday rotation of light propagating in an 87Rb vapor cell by changing the ellipticity of the light.

DOI
10.1364/ol.28.000096

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Physica Scripta•Apr 26, 2019•5 citations
We propose a new method of resonant enhancement of optical Kerr nonlinearity that uses multilevel atomic coherence. The enhancement is accompanied by suppression of the other linear and nonlinear susceptibility terms of the medium. We show that the effect results in a modification of the nonlinear Faraday rotation of light propagating in an 87Rb vapor cell by changing the ellipticity of the light.
We predict theoretically and demonstrate experimentally an ellipticity-dependent nonlinear magneto-optic rotation of elliptically polarized light propagating in a medium with atomic coherence. We show that this effect results from hexadecapole and higher-order moments of the atomic coherence, and is associated with an enhancement of Kerr and higher-order nonlinearities accompanied by suppression of the other linear and nonlinear susceptibility terms of the medium. These nonlinearities might be useful for quantum signal processing. In particular, we report an observation of enhancement of the polarization rotation of elliptically polarized light resonant with the ${5S}_{1/2}F=\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{2}{5P}_{1/2}F=1$ transition of 87Rb.{}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}.87Rb.
The influence of Kerr nonlinearity and Doppler broadening on the slow light propagation of a dispersive atomic medium is revisited using a four-level ?-type (87Rb) atomic system under the condition of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The medium exhibits an EIT process which is accompanied by normal dispersion, i.e.,?sub-luminal (slow light) pulse propagation. In the presence of Kerr nonlinearity and the Doppler broadening effect the dispersion property of the proposed atomic medium is modified, which leads to enhancement of the positive group index of the medium. The combined effect of Kerr nonlinearity and Doppler broadening on slow light propagation inside the medium is the major motivation for this work.
We report an experimental observation of large Kerr nonlinearity with vanishing linear susceptibilities in coherently prepared four-level rubidium atoms. Quantum coherence and interference manifested by electromagnetically induced transparency suppress the linear susceptibilities and greatly enhance the nonlinear susceptibilities at low light intensities. The measured Kerr nonlinearity is comparable in magnitude to the linear dispersion in a simple two-level system and is several orders of magnitude greater than the Kerr nonlinearity of a conventional three-level scheme under similar conditions.
Both long-lived coherences and coherent population oscillations result in dramatic enhancement of a Kerr nonlinearity in atomic media at very low intensity of resonant light. We demonstrate the possibility of separating the contributions from these effects under certain experimental conditions. We report a study of the nonlinear optical properties of atomic media under a variety of experimental conditions at low light intensity, paying particular attention to self-focussing, diffraction and quasi-degenerate wave mixing.
Abstract We propose to utilize a five-level Λ − Ξ system to achieve large self-Kerr nonlinearity under multiphoton resonance conditions. Using a density matrix formulation along with an iterative perturbation technique, analytic expressions of linear and nonlinear susceptibilities are derived for stationary as well as for moving atoms. Variation of first- and third-order susceptibilities with respect to frequency and intensity of switching field is then discussed. The dressed-state picture is employed to explain the amplitude and position of each peak in linear and nonlinear absorption profiles. It is found that under slow light conditions, large controllable Kerr nonlinearity with reduced linear and nonlinear absorption is achieved by properly adjusting the strength and detunings of strong electromagnetic (e.m.) fields. Our numerical results also reveal that the Kerr nonlinear index of our considered system is greater than that of existing three-level Λ and four-level N systems. Finally, it is substantiated that self-Kerr nonlinearity is proliferated by taking the Doppler effect into account.