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arXiv:quant-ph/0608234 · Physical Review A

Controlled polarization rotation of an optical field in multi-Zeeman-sublevel atoms

Shujing Li, Bo Wang, Xudong Yang, Yanxu Han, Hai Wang, Min Xiao, K. C. Peng

Published Sep 27, 2006• 62 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, the phenomenon of polarization rotation of a weak, linearly polarized optical (probe) field in an atomic system with multiple three-level electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) subsystems. The polarization rotation angle can be controlled by a circularly polarized coupling beam, which breaks the symmetry in number of EIT subsystems seen by the left and right circularly polarized components of the weak probe beam. A large polarization rotation angle (up to 45\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}) has been achieved with a coupling beam power of only $15\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mW}$. Detailed theoretical analyses including different transition probabilities in different transitions and Doppler-broadening are presented and the results are in good agreements with the experimentally measured results.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.74.033821

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We investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, the phenomenon of polarization rotation of a weak, linearly polarized optical (probe) field in an atomic system with multiple three-level electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) subsystems. The polarization rotation angle can be controlled by a circularly polarized coupling beam, which breaks the symmetry in number of EIT subsystems seen by the left and right circularly polarized components of the weak probe beam. A large polarization rotation angle (up to 45\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}) has been achieved with a coupling beam power of only 15mW15\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mW}15mW. Detailed theoretical analyses including different transition probabilities in different transitions and Doppler-broadening are presented and the results are in good agreements with the experimentally measured results.
We propose and experimentally demonstrate a mechanism to achieve coherent control of the polarization rotation of an optical field in a multilevel electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) system in rubidium atoms. By choosing a properly polarized coupling field and transition energy levels, the symmetry of the atomic medium to the propagation of two orthogonal polarization components of a weak linearly polarized probe field can be broken, which leads to a coherently controlled rotation of the probe field polarization. This mechanism of coherently controlled optical polarization rotation makes use of asymmetry in EIT subsystems for the two circular polarization components of the probe beam with a contribution from different transition strengths (due to different Clebsh-Gordan coefficients) in this multilevel atomic system.
We studied the polarization spectroscopy of a linearly-polarized optical (probe) field in a multi-Zeeman-sublevel atomic system of the 87Rb D1 line. The polarization spectroscopy signals of the probe light result from the changes in its polarization, which are caused by a left-circularly polarized pumping beam. A theoretical analysis involving multiple Zeeman sublevels is presented and the results are in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations. Based on this phenomenon, we demonstrated a light switch at low light level (~68 photons per λ2/2π) with a switching efficiency of ~3%.
The polarization spectra of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) for Zeeman sublevels in a cascade system with Rydberg state are demonstrated. The magnitude dependence of Rydberg-EIT on the polarizations of probe and coupling laser fields is studied, and shown mainly due to the strengths of relative dipole matrix elements between degenerate Zeeman sublevels. We further investigate the polarization spectra of Rydberg-EIT in the optimal polarization combinations of left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized fields when an external magnetic field is applied. The existence of nondegenerate Zeeman sublevels in an external magnetic field results in the splitting of Rydberg-EIT. The theoretical calculations are very consistent with the experimental spectra.
We investigate an all-optical, pump-probe scheme for the polarization rotation of linearly polarized light in an atomic medium. A circularly polarized control light is shown to play the role of a static magnetic field via a Zeeman-like ac Stark interaction and to induce the optical Faraday rotation (OFR) of the probe light. As a model system, we consider a stationary atom with $nS\text{\ensuremath{-}}nP\text{\ensuremath{-}}nD$ level scheme without electronic or nuclear spin. In addition to OFR, we find that electromagnetically induced transparency for the three-level atom and circular dichroism also contribute to the polarization change. We characterize these three effects over different frequency ranges through an explicit calculation of the fractional transmission and the output polarization of the probe light. Our results are compared with the $nS\text{\ensuremath{-}}nP\text{\ensuremath{-}}(n+1)S$ scheme, which has been previously studied both theoretically and experimentally. We also compare the optically induced Faraday effect with the Faraday effect from a static magnetic field. We propose an experimental situation to test the theory and address the possibility of producing an atomic medium that is both optically active and transparent.
Polarization rotation of weak probe light induced by circularly polarized strong coupling light in a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration is studied. We use spin-polarized cold cesium atoms trapped in a magneto-optical trap to remove complications from Zeeman distribution, Doppler broadening, and collisional decoherence. By using a very low probe intensity and short illumination period we work in a strictly linear regime. The probe and the coupling fields are optically phase locked to eliminate phase fluctuation and consequent atomic decoherence. Using this idealized situation we clarify the roles of optically induced Faraday rotation, circular dichroism, and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in determining the final state of the probe light. In particular, we identify an experimental situation where the roles of atomic coherence and EIT are important.
Employing two lasers as the coupling and probe fields which have opposite circular polarization (σ + and σ -), electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in Λ-type Zeeman sublevels of cesium 6 2S 1/2F=3-6 2P 3/2F′=2 degenerate two-level system has been demonstrated via probe absorption spectra. The effect of the intensity and detuning of different coupling. Laser on EII was also investigated in experiments. Within the Doppler background, optical pumping among Zeeman sub-levels and the population of different Zeeman sub-levels can dominate the intensity of EIT effect. And the physical reason of the rugged spectra are presented qualitatively.