Slow and Fast Light in Microwave Interferometers

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a method for manipulation of group velocity from slow-to-fast light (SFL) in a two-beam Mach–Zehnder interferometer in radio frequency (RF) regime. The subluminal, superluminal, and tunneling propagation regimes occur in a narrow frequency band around the resonance frequency of the interferometer where destructive interference occurs. Importantly, the group velocity at the resonance frequency can be controlled by simply adjusting the transmission magnitude of the signals from the two beams, without changing the length of the interferometer. Models that fully describe the SFL effects in the microwave interferometer system are developed and closed-form expressions for the prediction of group delays at the resonance frequency are obtained. The simple and effective method is verified through numerical calculations and experimental measurements. We also demonstrate that the proposed method applies to a microwave cavity interferometer. A proof-of-concept experiment is performed using a custom open-ended coaxial cable resonator (OE-CCR). Positive and negative group delays are experimentally measured when the resonator is set at different coupling states.