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Subwavelength spatial confinement of optical excitation by stimulated Raman adiabatic passage variants in a doped solid

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate subwavelength spatial confinement of optical excitation using variants of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in a Pr 3 + : Y 2 SiO 5 crystal. Building on conventional STIRAP, we implement two more advanced schemes, double STIRAP and tripod STIRAP, which enable enhanced spatial control. At the cost of reduced coherence, double STIRAP provides an almost twofold improvement in resolution compared with conventional STIRAP, which already enables localization nearly two orders of magnitude below the pump beam waist. To resolve such fine structures near the diffraction limit, we employ an autocorrelation-based measurement technique. With this setup, we demonstrate excitation confinement by conventional STIRAP down to 260 ± 40 nm , thus achieving subwavelength localization. As another powerful variant of adiabatic passage, we apply tripod STIRAP using an additional donut-shaped control beam that suppresses population transfer outside the beam center via coherent population trapping. With tripod STIRAP, we generate excitations as narrow as 350 ± 40 nm , a factor of 28 below the width of the driving control beam. We demonstrate the scalability of the method by preparing tightly packed grids with up to 41 excitation spots without crosstalk, making the method well-suited for quantum architectures. Our results establish STIRAP variants as robust, versatile tools for coherent, spatially selective optical excitation on a subwavelength scale, opening broad applications in quantum technologies and classical optics.
DOI: 10.1103/snsq-59mw
Language: English
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,675
OpenAlex ID: W7167598579
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Cites: 30
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Related to: 10