2020/11/07 by D. Main, T. M. Hird, S. Gao +5
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Atomic physics #Broadband #Caesium #Doppler effect #Excited state #Frequency comb #Hyperfine structure #Laser #Materials science #Optics #Physics #Potassium #Quantum mechanics #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Rubidium #physics.atom-ph #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1364/ol.426753
published as Opt. Lett. 46, 2960-2963 (2021)
arxiv created 2020/11/07 · openalex publication_date 2021/05/18 · arxiv updated 2021/06/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
We demonstrate coherent storage and retrieval of pulsed light using the atomic frequency comb protocol in a room temperature alkali vapor. We utilize velocity-selective optical pumping to prepare multiple velocity classes in the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mi>F</mml:mi> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>4</mml:mn> </mml:math> hyperfine ground state of cesium. The frequency spacing of the classes is chosen to coincide with the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>F</mml:mi> <mml:mi class="MJX-variant" mathvariant="normal">′</mml:mi> </mml:msup> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>4</mml:mn> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>F</mml:mi> <mml:mi class="MJX-variant" mathvariant="normal">′</mml:mi> </mml:msup> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>5</mml:mn> </mml:math> hyperfine splitting of the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:msup> <mml:mn>6</mml:mn> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> excited state, resulting in a broadband periodic absorbing structure consisting of two usually Doppler-broadened optical transitions. Weak coherent states of duration <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> <mml:mspace width="thickmathspace"/> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">n</mml:mi> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">s</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> are mapped into this atomic frequency comb with pre-programmed recall times of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mn>8</mml:mn> <mml:mspace width="thickmathspace"/> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">n</mml:mi> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">s</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mn>12</mml:mn> <mml:mspace width="thickmathspace"/> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">n</mml:mi> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">s</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> , with multi-temporal mode storage and recall demonstrated. Utilizing two transitions in the comb leads to an additional interference effect upon rephasing that enhances the recall efficiency.