Coherent manipulations of atoms using laser light

Exploring hyperfine levels of non-Rydberg excited states in a Ξ system using Autler-Townes splitting

In this experimental work we report our findings about a cascade (Ξ) transition 5S_1/2→5P_3/2→5D_3/2 of both ^85,87Rb atoms under different laser detuning combinations. The relative power levels of two individual lasers are adjusted under a counter-propagating configuration so that the system exhibits Autler-Townes splitting (ATS). However, the ATS, which is otherwise difficult to detect in a room-temperature alkali vapor cell offering large Doppler background, is well resolved here by using a combination of modulation transfer and phase-sensitive detection techniques. The results show that the AT components clearly indicate the hyperfine structure of 5D_3/2 level for ⁸⁷Rb isotope. For ⁸⁵Rb, the resolution of ATS is limited by the relatively closer proximity of 5D_3/2 hyperfine components. The results are also verified through blue fluorescence detection by monitoring the 5D_3/2→6P_3/2→5S_1/2 non-degenerate decay arm. The technique is easy to implement and is able to reveal the hyperfine structure of the excited levels. However, the technique is not a good choice when an excited level with dense hyperfine structure is targeted.

One-Way Localized Adiabatic Passage in an Acoustic System

Stimulated adiabatic passage utilizes radiation pulses to efficiently and selectively transfer population between quantum states, via an intermediate state that is normally decaying. In this Letter, we propose the analog of stimulated adiabatic passage in an acoustic system. It is realized with cavities that correlate through adiabatically time-varying couplings, where the cavities and time-varying couplings mimic discrete states and radiation pulses, respectively. With appropriate arrangements of coupling actions, an acoustic wave can be efficiently transferred from the initial excited cavity to the target cavity in the forward direction, immune to the intermediate dark cavity. On the other hand, for the backward propagation, the acoustic energy is perfectly localized in the intermediate dark cavity and completely dissipated. We analytically, numerically, and experimentally demonstrate such unidirectional sound localization and unveil the essential role of zero-eigenvalue eigenstates in the adiabatic passage process.

Perspective: Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage: The status after 25 years

The first presentation of the STIRAP (stimulated Raman adiabatic passage) technique with proper theoretical foundation and convincing experimental data appeared 25 years ago, in the May 1st, 1990 issue of The Journal of Chemical Physics. By now, the STIRAP concept has been successfully applied in many different fields of physics, chemistry, and beyond. In this article, we comment briefly on the initial motivation of the work, namely, the study of reaction dynamics of vibrationally excited small molecules, and how this initial idea led to the documented success. We proceed by providing a brief discussion of the physics of STIRAP and how the method was developed over the years, before discussing a few examples from the amazingly wide range of applications which STIRAP now enjoys, with the aim to stimulate further use of the concept. Finally, we mention some promising future directions.

Interaction of a two-level atom with single-mode optical field beyond the rotating wave approximation

One of the simplest models involving the atom-field interaction is the coupling of a single two-level atom with single-mode optical field. Under the rotating wave approximation, this problem is reduced to a form that can be solved exactly. But the approximation is only valid when the two levels are resonant or nearly resonant with the applied electromagnetic radiation. Here we present an analytical solution without the rotating wave approximation and applicable to general atom-field interaction far away from the resonance. We find that there exists remarkable influence of the initial phase of optical field on the Rabi oscillations and Rabi splitting, and this issue cannot be explored in the context of the rotating wave approximation. Due to the retention of the counter-rotating terms, higher-order harmonic appears during the Rabi splitting. The analytical solution suggests a way to regulate and control the quantum dynamics of a two-level atom and allows for exploring more essential features of the atom-field interaction.

Quantum Nonlinear Optics with Polar J-Aggregates in Microcavities

We predict that an ensemble of organic dye molecules with permanent electric dipole moments embedded in a microcavity can lead to strong optical nonlinearities at the single-photon level. The strong long-range electrostatic interaction between chromophores due to their permanent dipoles introduces the desired nonlinearity of the light-matter coupling in the microcavity. We develop a semiclassical model to obtain the absorption spectra of a weak probe field under the influence of strong exciton-photon coupling with the cavity field. Using realistic parameters, we demonstrate that a cavity field with an average photon number near unity can significantly modify the absorptive and dispersive response of the medium to a weak probe field at a different frequency. Finally, we show that the system is in the regime of cavity-induced transparency with a broad transparency window for dye dimers. We illustrate our findings using pseudoisocyanine chloride (PIC) J-aggregates in currently available optical microcavities.

Number-theoretic nature of communication in quantum spin systems

The last decade has witnessed substantial interest in protocols for transferring information on networks of quantum mechanical objects. A variety of control methods and network topologies have been proposed, on the basis that transfer with perfect fidelity-i.e., deterministic and without information loss-is impossible through unmodulated spin chains with more than a few particles. Solving the original problem formulated by Bose [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 207901 (2003)], we determine the exact number of qubits in unmodulated chains (with an XY Hamiltonian) that permit transfer with a fidelity arbitrarily close to 1, a phenomenon called pretty good state transfer. We prove that this happens if and only if the number of nodes is n = p - 1, 2p - 1, where p is a prime, or n = 2(m) - 1. The result highlights the potential of quantum spin system dynamics for reinterpreting questions about the arithmetic structure of integers and, in this case, primality.

Achromatic polarization retarder realized with slowly varying linear and circular birefringence

Using the phenomena of linear and circular birefringence, we propose a device that can alter general elliptical polarization of a beam by a predetermined amount, thereby allowing conversion between linearly polarized light and circularly polarized light or changes to the handedness of the polarization. Based on an analogy with two-state adiabatic following of quantum optics, the proposed device is insensitive to the frequency of the light-it serves as an achromatic polarization retarder.