Spatially dependent electromagnetically induced transparency

Recent years have seen vast progress in the generation and detection of structured light, with potential applications in high capacity optical data storage and continuous variable quantum technologies. Here we measure the transmission of structured light through cold rubidium atoms and observe regio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2015-03, Vol.114 (12), p.123603-123603, Article 123603
Main Authors: Radwell, N, Clark, T W, Piccirillo, B, Barnett, S M, Franke-Arnold, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic structure
Beams (radiation)
Data storage
Lasers
Magnetic fields
Modulation
Polarization
Rubidium
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Summary:Recent years have seen vast progress in the generation and detection of structured light, with potential applications in high capacity optical data storage and continuous variable quantum technologies. Here we measure the transmission of structured light through cold rubidium atoms and observe regions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), using the phase profile as control parameter for the atomic opacity. With q plates we generate a probe beam with azimuthally varying phase and polarization structure, and its right and left circular polarization components provide the probe and control of an EIT transition. We observe an azimuthal modulation of the absorption profile that is dictated by the phase and polarization structure of the probe laser. Conventional EIT systems do not exhibit phase sensitivity. We show, however, that a weak transverse magnetic field closes the EIT transitions, thereby generating phase-dependent dark states which in turn lead to phase-dependent transparency, in agreement with our measurements.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.114.123603