Characterizing micro-macro transitions with slow light
Year: 2016
Type: preprint
Abstract: The transition between the microscopic to the macroscopic world is of broad fundamental and technological significance. Optical parametric amplifiers allow for amplifying single photons to the macroscopic level, but the underlying temporal dynamics are still not well understood. Slow light, in which the group velocity is delayed via quantum interference, is an effective tool to interrogate the temporal dynamics of light-matter interactions. Here, we demonstrate a scheme to characterize micro-macro transitions with slow light based on a four-wave mixing linear amplification process in a hot rubidium vapour. The scheme exhibits strong dispersion which is sensitive to the input's change at the single-photon level, resulting in a nonlinear decay of the micro-macro transition time with the increased microscopic input. The present system is suitable for the study of the relevant time scale of quantum-to-classical transitions and the potential impact from fundamental effects such as gravity, as indicated by recent proposals.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2398078151