Photon echo in the presence of a magnetic field: New prospects for data accumulation and processing

Abstract

The possibility for echo signal switching-off and the switching of echo polarization between the ±45° positions is demonstrated for the photon echo (PE) and stimulated photon echo (SPE) generated in Yb vapor at the (6s6p) 3 P1 - (6s 2 1S 0 transition by two pulses of the resonant linearly polarized radiation at appropriate experimental parameters in the weak magnetic field limit. The experimental data are in qualitative agreement with the theoretical analysis and the calculations made for the 1 ↔0 transition. The strong magnetic field limit leads to unpolarized PE and SPE signals generated by linearly polarized radiation pulses. The possibility of the generation of a long-lived echo in ytterbium vapor due to the magnetic field induced mixing of the upper working level with the metastable level is discussed. The results can be employed for the optical data storage and processing.