Electromagnetically induced transparency with matched pulses

Journal Article · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Bulletin of the American Physical Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.70.552· OSTI ID:281639

Harris, S E

In the last several years there have been studies and experiments showing how, by applying an additional laser beam, optically-thick transitions may be rendered nearly transparent to probing radiation. This transparency results from a quantum interference, very much like a Fano interference, which is established by the additional laser. This talk describes the difference between the quantum interference as exhibited by an independent atom and by an optically-thick ensemble of atoms. We find that an ensemble of atoms establishes transparency through a strong nonlinear interaction which, for a lambda system, tends to generate a matching temporal envelope on the complementary transition. For a ladder system, phase conjugate pulses are generated and, after a characteristic distance, establish transparency. The transparency of an optically-thick medium is therefore not a Beer`s law superposition of the independent atom response. To transmit a pulse through an otherwise opaque media, the front edge of the complementary pulse should lead, in the manner of {open_quotes}counter-intuitive{close_quotes} adiabatic transfer, the front edge of the pulse which is to be rendered transparent. Thereafter the pulses should be matched or, for a ladder system, phase-conjugately matched.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 281639
• Report Number(s): CONF-9305421--
• Journal Information: Bulletin of the American Physical Society, Journal Name: Bulletin of the American Physical Society Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 38; ISSN 0003-0503; ISSN BAPSA6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES
LASER RADIATION
OPACITY