Work

Transfer and evolution of structured polarization in a double-V atomic system

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: We numerically investigate the transfer of optical information from a vector-vortex control beam to an unstructured probe beam, as mediated by an atomic vapour. The right and left circular components of these beams drive the atomic transitions of a double-V system, with the atoms acting as a spatially varying circular birefringent medium. Modeling the propagation of the light fields, we find that, for short distances, the vectorial light structure is transferred from the control field to the probe. However, for larger propagation lengths, diffraction causes the circular components of the probe field to spatially separate. We model this system for the D1 line of cold rubidium atoms and demonstrate that four wave mixing can lead to correlations between the optical polarization structure and the diffraction of light, generating coupled dynamics of the internal and external degrees of freedom.

Source: Optics Express

DOI: 10.1364/oe.457368

Authors: Zhenzhu Li, Sonja Franke-Arnold, Thomas W. Clark, Jinwen Wang, Dawei Zhang, Chunfang Wang

Institutions: University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, University of Glasgow, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University

Language: English

Topic: Quantum optics and atomic interactions

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,270