Competition between atomic coherence and electromagnetically induced population grating in multi-wave mixing

Abstract

We study the competition and transfer between atomic coherence and electromagnetically induced population grating of multi-wave mixing (MWM) in four- and five-level atomic systems. The MWM signal falls into a new type electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) window that depends on propagating directions of the related fields rather than atomic system configuration. By blocking different coupling laser beams, we experimentally distinguish different wave mixing processes. In addition, by changing the detuning of pump beams, we can observe double peaks for both EIT and MWM signals. The results may have potential applications in correlated photon-pair generations in four-wave mixing as well as six-wave mixing and quantum information processing.