Abstract
Based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), we investigate an all-optical grating structure to realize polarization-dependent multiple beam splitting in the Raman-Nath limit. To optimize the grating performance, higher excited state [e.g., nS1/2 (n ≥ 6)] of ultracold 87Rb atoms is employed to construct a five-level Ξ-Λ system sharing one common populated ground state. A principal advantage of our proposed scheme is that the σ± components of a linearly polarized weak probe field can be decoupled and thus be independently diffracted with high efficiency in both one and two dimensions by exploiting different quasi-standing waves as the two strong coupling fields in the Ξ and Λ configurations. Such an all-optical polarization-sensitive operation could greatly enhance the tunability and capacity of all-optical multiplexing, interconnecting, and networking in free space for both classical and quantum applications.
Highlights
The effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) offers opportunities to control light with light, whereby all-optical devices can be implemented to significantly improve the performance of optical information processing systems in both classical and quantum regimes1–3
Cold atomic cloud with high optical depth can be prepared in a magneto-optical trap (MOT)36
A tripod system is usually employed for polarization-dependent photon manipulation20–22, the polarization-dependent multibeam diffraction with our electromagnetically induced polarization grating (EIPG) scheme in the Raman-Nath limit cannot be realized using a tripod EIT system
Summary
The effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) offers opportunities to control light with light, whereby all-optical devices can be implemented to significantly improve the performance of optical information processing systems in both classical and quantum regimes. As an important application of EIT effect, electromagnetically induced grating (EIG) has been actively studied for all-optical multichannel devices. A further study of polarization-dependent EIG structures for multiple beam diffraction may help advance the development of all-optical multichannel processing for photon polarization information in free space. We present an electromagnetically induced polarization grating (EIPG) scheme to realize polarization-resolved multiple beam diffraction for a weak probe laser in the Raman-Nath limit. By dynamically tuning the optical parameters of the EIT system, the two circularly polarized σ± components of the probe field can be decoupled and flexibly controlled by diffraction, generating a plurality of purely polarized beams at different angles in one and two dimensions in the far field
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