Electromagnetically induced transparency with tunable single-photon pulses

Techniques to facilitate controlled interactions between single photons and atoms are now being actively explored. These techniques are important for the practical realization of quantum networks, in which multiple memory nodes that utilize atoms for generation, storage and processing of quantum states are connected by single-photon transmission in optical fibres. One promising avenue for the realization of quantum networks involves the manipulation of quantum pulses of light in optically dense atomic ensembles using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT, refs 8, 9). EIT is a coherent control technique that is widely used for controlling the propagation of classical, multi-photon light pulses in applications such as efficient nonlinear optics. Here we demonstrate the use of EIT for the controllable generation, transmission and storage of single photons with tunable frequency, timing and bandwidth. We study the interaction of single photons produced in a 'source' ensemble of 87Rb atoms at room temperature with another 'target' ensemble. This allows us to simultaneously probe the spectral and quantum statistical properties of narrow-bandwidth single-photon pulses, revealing that their quantum nature is preserved under EIT propagation and storage. We measure the time delay associated with the reduced group velocity of the single-photon pulses and report observations of their storage and retrieval.     

Electromagnetically induced transparency with resonant nuclei in a cavity

The manipulation of light-matter interactions by quantum control of atomic levels has had a profound impact on optical sciences. Such manipulation has many applications, including nonlinear optics at the few-photon level, slow light, lasing without inversion and optical quantum information processing. The critical underlying technique is electromagnetically induced transparency, in which quantum interference between transitions in multilevel atoms renders an opaque medium transparent near an atomic resonance. With the advent of high-brilliance, accelerator-driven light sources such as storage rings or X-ray lasers, it has become attractive to extend the techniques of optical quantum control to the X-ray regime. Here we demonstrate electromagnetically induced transparency in the regime of hard X-rays, using the 14.4-kiloelectronvolt nuclear resonance of the M?ssbauer isotope iron-57 (a two-level system). We exploit cooperative emission from ensembles of the nuclei, which are embedded in a low-finesse cavity and excited by synchrotron radiation. The spatial modulation of the photonic density of states in a cavity mode leads to the coexistence of superradiant and subradiant states of nuclei, respectively located at an antinode and a node of the cavity field. This scheme causes the nuclei to behave as effective three-level systems, with two degenerate levels in the excited state (one of which can be considered metastable). The radiative coupling of the nuclear ensembles by the cavity field establishes the atomic coherence necessary for the cancellation of resonant absorption. Because this technique does not require atomic systems with a metastable level, electromagnetically induced transparency and its applications can be transferred to the regime of nuclear resonances, establishing the field of nuclear quantum optics.     

Non-classical light generated by quantum-noise-driven cavity optomechanics

Optomechanical systems, in which light drives and is affected by the motion of a massive object, will comprise a new framework for nonlinear quantum optics, with applications ranging from the storage and transduction of quantum information to enhanced detection sensitivity in gravitational wave detectors. However, quantum optical effects in optomechanical systems have remained obscure, because their detection requires the object’s motion to be dominated by vacuum fluctuations in the optical radiation pressure; so far, direct observations have been stymied by technical and thermal noise. Here we report an implementation of cavity optomechanics using ultracold atoms in which the collective atomic motion is dominantly driven by quantum fluctuations in radiation pressure. The back-action of this motion onto the cavity light field produces ponderomotive squeezing. We detect this quantum phenomenon by measuring sub-shot-noise optical squeezing. Furthermore, the system acts as a low-power, high-gain, nonlinear parametric amplifier for optical fluctuations, demonstrating a gain of 20?dB with a pump corresponding to an average of only seven intracavity photons. These findings may pave the way for low-power quantum optical devices, surpassing quantum limits on position and force sensing, and the control and measurement of motion in quantum gases.     

Controlling photons using electromagnetically induced transparency

It is well known that a dielectric medium can be used to manipulate properties of light pulses. However, optical absorption limits the extent of possible control: this is especially important for weak light pulses. Absorption in an opaque medium can be eliminated via quantum mechanical interference, an effect known as electromagnetically induced transparency. Theoretical and experimental work has demonstrated that this phenomenon can be used to slow down light pulses dramatically, or even bring them to a complete halt. Interactions between photons in such an atomic medium can be many orders of magnitude stronger than in conventional optical materials.     

Laser intensity induced transparency in atom-molecular transition process

We propose a new transparency mechanism, which is based on photoassociation （PA） laser intensity induced transitional frequency shift for ultracold cesium molecules formed in PA scheme. The PA laser intensity is supposed to change before the atommolecule resonance. Thus, a remarkable transparent effect for PA laser is expected to appear in the vicinity of original resonant transitional line, where the variation of PA laser intensity induces the shift of the excited molecular levels. The mechanism is different from electromagnetically induced transparency effect and interesting for further research on the scattering length for cesium atomic condensate.     

Active control of slow light on a chip with photonic crystal waveguides

It is known that light can be slowed down in dispersive materials near resonances. Dramatic reduction of the light group velocity-and even bringing light pulses to a complete halt-has been demonstrated recently in various atomic and solid state systems, where the material absorption is cancelled via quantum optical coherent effects. Exploitation of slow light phenomena has potential for applications ranging from all-optical storage to all-optical switching. Existing schemes, however, are restricted to the narrow frequency range of the material resonance, which limits the operation frequency, maximum data rate and storage capacity. Moreover, the implementation of external lasers, low pressures and/or low temperatures prevents miniaturization and hinders practical applications. Here we experimentally demonstrate an over 300-fold reduction of the group velocity on a silicon chip via an ultra-compact photonic integrated circuit using low-loss silicon photonic crystal waveguides that can support an optical mode with a submicrometre cross-section. In addition, we show fast (approximately 100 ns) and efficient (2 mW electric power) active control of the group velocity by localized heating of the photonic crystal waveguide with an integrated micro-heater.     

基于Tellurite光纤的受激布里渊散射慢光数值模拟

利用受激布里渊散射对Tellurite光纤实现慢光进行数值研究.通过数值模拟得到在小信号以及增益饱和情况下,斯托克斯脉冲的时间延迟和脉冲展宽随增益的变化关系;同时模拟了在固定的增益参数下,时间延迟及脉冲展宽随斯托克斯峰值功率的变化关系.结果表明由于Tellurite光纤具有较高的增益系数,可以有效减少增益饱和对斯托克斯脉冲的时间延迟的限制并且具有较大的延迟时间,同时表明较高的斯托克斯峰值功率也是造成增益饱和的重要原因.     

利用电磁诱导透明建立强Kerr非线性和光子开关的单光子失谐容限

在三能级介质中,产生电磁诱导透明的条件是双光子共振,对单光子失谐没有限制．本文得到的结果显示：将微扰引入电磁诱导透明产生强非线性光学效应时,给单光子失谐带来明显限制．具体来说,当电磁诱导透明效应用于制备强Kerr非线性介质和设计光子开关时,单光子失谐量的取值范围应远小于耦合场和信号场的强度比与微扰跃迁的失谐量或衰减速率之积．     

调控EIT气体折射率实现对布儒斯特角的控制

提出了电磁感应透明(EIT)介质的一个新的相干操纵应用:控制电磁感应透明气体折射率实现对布儒斯特角的调控。将一定密度的EIT原子气体充入2块玻璃材料中,计算表明光从玻璃入射EIT原子气体的布儒斯特角随外控制场而变。通过改变控制光的拉比频率等场外参数即可达到对布儒斯特角的调控。     

光子晶体光纤中基于SBS实现慢光的数值模拟

通过运用四阶龙格库塔法和特征线法对基于光子晶体光纤的受激布里渊散射耦合方程组进行数值求解,讨论不同纤芯直径的光子晶体光纤在相同的Stokes波功率和相同的Stokes波强度下对受激布里渊散射慢光产生的影响,发现芯径越小PCF的时延特性越好,但是伴随着较大的脉冲展宽,对于Stokes波脉冲,较小的输入Stokes波功率具有更大的时延.考察不同的脉冲宽度对光子晶体光纤中的慢光的影响,发现较短的脉冲具有更大的相对时延并伴随着较大的脉冲展宽.通过改变小芯径光子晶体光纤的占空比,讨论光子晶体光纤的结构变化对受激布里渊散射慢光的影响,发现小芯径PCF的占空比越小,对应的SBS慢光的时延越大,脉冲展宽也越明显.以上结论可以为慢光缓存器的设计提供理论参考.     

基于电磁感应透明的量子信息存储研究

量子信息是量子力学与信息科学交叉的前沿领域,如何对量子信息进行存储和处理是人们研究的核心问题之一.采用数值模拟方法研究基于电磁感应透明技术存储光量子信息,并考虑了信号场与原子系统的耦合系数、原予弛豫率和控制光场强弱变化等对存储过程的影响.结果表明,存储后输出的信号脉冲强度随着耦合系数的增大而增大、随着原子驰豫率的增大而减小、随着控制光强的增大而增大.此外,控制光的强弱也对信号脉冲的存储位置产生影响.     

Quantum storage of optical signals and coherent manipulation of quantum states based on electromagnetically induced transparency

Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) techniques are important tools for the storage of the quantum states of light fields in atomic ensembles and for enhancement of the interaction between photons. In this paper, we briefly summarize the recent experimental studies conducted by our group on enhanced cross-phase modulation based on double EIT effects, the quantum interference of stored dual-channel spin-wave excitations and the coherent manipulation of the spin wave vector for the polarization of photons in a single tripod atomic system. The work presented here has potential application in the developing field of quantum information processing.     

基于极化不敏感超材料的类电磁诱导透明特性研究

设计了一种由4条金属直线和1个圆环构成的类电磁诱导透明超材料,当电磁波垂直入射到该超材料表面时,其具有水平极化和垂直极化不敏感特性。仿真了超材料的传输曲线特性,以及其表面电流分布特点,计算了相位传输曲线和群折射率,并对其介电常数传感特性进行了分析。计算所得群折射率最大值可达380,说明该超材料可用于制作慢光器件。用于制作传感器时,其D_FOM值约为20.13,与前人所设计的传感器相比,具有较高的灵敏特性。研究结果表明,该超材料在制作慢光器件和传感器件方面具有一定的应用价值。     

源啁啾所致光脉冲的压缩特性

用付理叶变换法从理论上分析了正常色散区域中群速度色散(GVD)和自相位调制度效应(SPM)对光纤中光脉冲传输的影响．结果表明负的源啁啾脉冲在传输过程中能够得到压缩，正的源啁啾导致啁啾脉冲频谱展宽，自相位调制也能使光脉冲压缩但效果较差．     

双包层As2Se3硫化物光子晶体光纤受激布里渊散射慢光

研究了双包层As₂Se₃硫化物光子晶体光纤内、外包层结构对受激布里渊散射慢光特性的影响.在分析双包层As₂Se₃硫化物光子晶体光纤结构对布里渊增益谱的影响时,考虑了声场的高阶模式.研究结果表明,内包层占空比的变化对慢光特性影响较大,随内包层占空比的增加,布里渊增益谱的主峰逐渐降低,第二个峰值逐渐上升,时间延迟量增加,布里渊增益的变化趋势与其相似.但这些特性受外包层占空比的变化影响较小,布里渊增益谱的第二个峰值略微上升,而时间延迟及增益变化很小.因此双包层As₂Se₃硫化物光子晶体光纤的慢光特性受内包层占空比影响较大.而与内包层相比,这些特性受外包层占空比的影响较小.     

A laboratory analogue of the event horizon using slow light in an atomic medium.

Singularities underlie many optical phenomena. The rainbow, for example, involves a particular type of singularity-a ray catastrophe-in which light rays become infinitely intense. In practice, the wave nature of light resolves these infinities, producing interference patterns. At the event horizon of a black hole, time stands still and waves oscillate with infinitely small wavelengths. However, the quantum nature of light results in evasion of the catastrophe and the emission of Hawking radiation. Here I report a theoretical laboratory analogue of an event horizon: a parabolic profile of the group velocity of light brought to a standstill in an atomic medium can cause a wave singularity similar to that associated with black holes. In turn, the quantum vacuum is forced to create photon pairs with a characteristic spectrum, a phenomenon related to Hawking radiation. The idea may initiate a theory of 'quantum' catastrophes, extending classical catastrophe theory.     

二维椭圆柱长方晶格可控光子带隙研究

从理论上研究了GaAs为背景介质,电磁感应透明(EIT)气体灌注的二维椭圆柱长方晶格光子晶体的光子带隙,发现在优化光子晶体几何参数的基础上,通过调控原子气体的自发辐射率、无辐射衰变率、控制光Rabi频率、原子数密度等外参数可以使高频区域的能带从完全光子带隙向零带隙转变.