Thermal-motion-induced optical switching with standing-wave coupled atom-cavity system

Abstract

We report an experimental scheme of three-channel all-optical switching based on the conversion between single and double dark states in an atom-ring-cavity system driven by a coherent standing-wave coupling field. By turning on and off the counter-propagating part of the coupling field, the switching for the probe field at three different frequencies is simultaneously achieved. We give a theoretical interpretation to the experimental results via the intracavity susceptibility for thermal atoms at different velocities. The switching performance is experimentally analyzed by introducing an additional coherent pumping light.