We present experimental evidence that light storage, i.e. the controlled release of a light pulse by an atomic sample dependent on the past presence of a writing pulse, is not restricted to small group velocity media but can also occur in a negative group velocity medium. A simple physical picture applicable to both cases and previous light storage experiments is discussed.
We demonstrate the ability to load, cool and detect singly-charged calcium ions in a surface electrode trap using only visible and infrared lasers for the trapped-ion control. As opposed to the standard methods of cooling using dipole-allowed transitions, we combine power broadening of a quadrupole transition at 729 nm with quenching of the upper level using a dipole allowed transition at 854 nm. By observing the resulting 393 nm fluorescence we are able to perform background-free detection of the ion. We show that this system can be used to smoothly transition between the Doppler cooling and sideband cooling regimes, and verify theoretical predictions throughout this range. We achieve scattering rates which reliably allow recooling after collision events and allow ions to be loaded from a thermal atomic beam. This work is compatible with recent advances in optical waveguides, and thus opens a path in current technologies for large-scale quantum information processing. In situations where dielectric materials are placed close to trapped ions, it carries the additional advantage of using wavelengths which do not lead to significant charging, which should facilitate high rate optical interfaces between remotely held ions.
We present a semi-classical theory for light deflection by a coherent $Lambda$-type three-level atomic medium in an inhomogeneous magnetic field or an inhomogeneous control laser. When the atomic energy levels (or the Rabi coupling by the control laser) are position-dependent due to the Zeeman effect by the inhomogeneous magnetic field (or the inhomogeneity of the control field profile), the spatial dependence of the refraction index of the atomic medium will result in an observable deflection of slow signal light when the electromagnetically induced transparency happens to avoid medium absorption. Our theoretical approach based on Fermats principle in geometrical optics not only provides a consistent explanation for the most recent experiment in a straightforward way, but also predicts the new effects for the slow signal light deflection by the atomic media in an inhomogeneous off-resonant control laser field.
We analyze the nonlinear dynamics of atomic dark states in Lambda configuration that interact with light at exact resonance. We found a generalization of shape-preserving pulses [R. Grobe, F. T. Hioe, and J. H. Eberly, Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 3183 (1994)] and show that the condition for adiabaticity of the atomic dynamics is never violated, as long as spontaneous emission is negligible.
A two-level medium, described by the Maxwell-Bloch (MB) system, is engraved by establishing a standing cavity wave with a linearly polarized electromagnetic field that drives the medium on both ends. A light pulse, polarized along the other direction, then scatters the medium and couples to the cavity standing wave by means of the population inversion density variations. We demonstrate that control of the applied amplitudes of the grating field allows to stop the light pulse and to make it move backward (eventually to drive it freely). A simplified limit model of the MB system with variable boundary driving is obtained as a discrete nonlinear Schroedinger equation with tunable external potential. It reproduces qualitatively the dynamics of the driven light pulse.
We propose a new scheme of microwave frequency standards based on pulsed coherent optical information storage. Unlike the usual frequency reference where the Ramsey fringe is printed on the population of a certain state, we print the Ramsey fringe on the coherence. Then the coherence is detected in the form of a retrieval light. The central line of the Ramsey fringe can be used as a frequency reference in an absorption-cell-based atomic frequency standard. This scheme is free of light shifts as the interrogating process is separated from the optical pumping processes, and the cavity pulling effect is negligible due to the low Q requirement. Encoding the Ramsey interference into the retrieval light pulse has the merit of high signal to noise ratio and the estimated frequency stability of shot noise limit is about $2times10^{-14}$ in 1 second, this scheme is promising for building small, compact and stable atomic frequency standards.