Atomic Ensemble Research Articles

Tunable phonon-photon coupling induces double MMIT and enhances slow light in an atom-opto-magnomechanics

Abstract In this paper, we theoretically investigate the magnomechanically induced transparency phenomenon, Fano resonance, and the slow/fast light effect in the situation where an atomic ensemble is placed inside the hybrid cavity of an opto-magnomechanical system. The system is driven by dual optical and phononic drives. We show double magnomechanically induced transparency (MMIT) in the probe output spectrum by exploiting the phonon-photon coupling strength. Then, we study the effects of the decay rate of the cavity and the atomic ensemble on magnomechanically induced transparency. In addition, we demonstrate that effective detuning of the cavity field frequency changes the transparency window from a symmetrical to an asymmetrical profile, resembling Fano resonances. Further, the fast and slow light effects in the system are explored. Besides, we show that the slow light profile is enhanced by adjusting the phonon-photon coupling strength. This result may have potential applications in quantum information processing and communication.

Concurrent Spin Squeezing and Light Squeezing in an Atomic Ensemble.

Squeezed spin states and squeezed light are both key resources for quantum metrology and quantum information science, but have been separately investigated in experiments so far. Simultaneous generation of these two types of quantum states in one experiment setup is intriguing but remains a challenging goal. Here, we propose a novel protocol based on judiciously engineered symmetric atom-light interaction, and report proof-of-principle experimental results of concurrent spin squeezing of 0.61±0.09 dB and light squeezing of 0.65_{-0.10}^{+0.11} dB in a hot atomic ensemble. The squeezing process is deterministic, yielding fixed squeezing directions for both the light field and the collective atomic spin. Furthermore, the squeezed light modes lie in the multiple frequency sidebands of a single spatial mode. This new type of dual squeezed state is applicable for quantum enhanced metrology and quantum networks. Our method can be extended to other quantum platforms such as optomechanics, cold atoms, and trapped ions.

Light-induced fictitious magnetic fields for quantum storage in cold atomic ensembles

In this paper, we have demonstrated that optically generated fictitious magnetic fields can be utilized to extend the lifetime of quantum memories in cold atomic ensembles. All the degrees of freedom of an AC Stark shift, such as polarization, spatial profile, and temporal waveform, can be readily controlled in a precise manner. Temporal fluctuations over several experimental cycles and spatial inhomogeneities along a cold atomic gas have been compensated by an optical beam. The advantage of employing fictitious magnetic fields for quantum storage lies in the speed and spatial precision with which these fields can be synthesized. Our simple and versatile technique can find widespread application in coherent pulse and single-photon storage across various atomic species. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Theoretical investigation of the optical and plasmonic properties of the nanocomposite media composed of silver nanoparticles embedded in rubidium

This theoretical study investigates, the optical response of a metal-dielectric nanocomposite of silver and rubidium (Ag/Rb) is theoretically studied via Maxwell-Garnett Model by varying the size, shape and volume ratio of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the coherently driven four levels rubidium dielectric atomic media. The rubidium being an alkali metal behaves as dielectric under quantum coherence effect. It was found that the optical response of this nanocomposite media strongly depends on the coherent driving fields applied in the atomic ensemble, the volume fraction of the AgNPs as well as their size and the applied frequencies. It was found that the dielectric function decreases with the increase in AgNPs’ size, while increase in Rabi frequency increases the refractive index. Similarly, the dispersion and absorption decrease with decrease in volume fraction of the AgNPs. Our results suggest important applications of this nanocomposite in various fields such as energy harvesting, photovoltaics and quantum plasmonics. The modeling approach developed in this study provides great freedom for tuning optical properties of the metal-dielectric nanocomposites.

Realizing Exceptional Points by Floquet Dissipative Couplings in Thermal Atoms.

Exceptional degeneracies and generically complex spectra of non-Hermitian systems are at the heart of numerous phenomena absent in the Hermitian realm. Recently, it was suggested that Floquet dissipative coupling in the space-time domain may provide a novel mechanism to drive intriguing spectral topology with no static analogs, though its experimental investigation in quantum systems remains elusive. We demonstrate such Floquet dissipative coupling in an ensemble of thermal atoms interacting with two spatially separated optical beams, and observe an anomalous anti-parity-time symmetry phase transition at an exception point far from the phase-transition threshold of the static counterpart. Our protocol sets the stage for Floquet engineering of non-Hermitian topological spectra, and for engineering new quantum phases that cannot exist in static systems.

Symmetry breaking and non-ergodicity in a driven-dissipative ensemble of multilevel atoms in a cavity

Dissipative light-matter systems can display emergent collective behavior. Here, we report a Z2-symmetry-breaking phase transition in a system of multilevel Rb87 atoms strongly coupled to a weakly driven two-mode optical cavity. In the symmetry-broken phase, nonergodic dynamics manifests in the emergence of multiple stationary states with disjoint basins of attraction. This feature enables the amplification of a small atomic population imbalance into a characteristic macroscopic cavity transmission signal. Our experiment does not only showcase strongly dissipative atom-cavity systems as platforms for probing nontrivial collective many-body phenomena, but also highlights their potential for hosting technological applications in the context of sensing, density classification, and pattern retrieval dynamics within associative memories. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Deriving Three-Outcome Permutationally Invariant Bell Inequalities.

We present strategies to derive Bell inequalities valid for systems composed of many three-level parties. This scenario is formalized by a Bell experiment with N observers, each of which performs one out of two possible three-outcome measurements on their share of the system. As the complexity of the set of classical correlations prohibits its full characterization in this multipartite scenario, we consider its projection to a lower-dimensional subspace spanned by permutationally invariant one- and two-body observables. This simplification allows us to formulate two complementary methods for detecting nonlocality in multipartite three-level systems, both having a complexity independent of N. Our work can have interesting applications in the detection of Bell correlations in paradigmatic spin-1 models, as well as in experiments with solid-state systems or atomic ensembles.

Complementarity of which-path information in induced and stimulated coherences via four-wave mixing process from warm Rb atomic ensemble: publisher’s note

This publisher’s note reports a correction made to Optica Quantum 2, 288 (2024)10.1364/OPTICAQ.528135.

Modeling local decoherence of a spin ensemble using a generalized Holstein–Primakoff mapping to a bosonic mode

We show how the decoherence that occurs in an entangling atomic spin–light interface can be simply modeled as the dynamics of a bosonic mode. Although one seeks to control the collective spin of the atomic system in the permutationally invariant (symmetric) subspace, diffuse scattering and optical pumping are local, making an exact description of the many-body state intractable. To overcome this issue we develop a generalized Holstein–Primakoff approximation for collective states which is valid when decoherence is uniform across a large atomic ensemble. In different applications the dynamics is conveniently treated as a Wigner function evolving according to a thermalizing diffusion equation, or by a Fokker–Planck equation for a bosonic mode decaying in a zero-temperature reservoir. We use our formalism to study the combined effect of Hamiltonian evolution, local and collective decoherence, and measurement backaction in preparing nonclassical spin states for application in quantum metrology.

Transfer of nonclassical correlations between bosonic field and atomic ensemble through electromagnetically induced transparency

Dark state polariton, as an important concept in the mechanism of electromagnetic induced transparency (EIT), can map the state of bosonic fields to atomic ensembles. To reflect the mapping ability of dark state polariton, we choose the odd and even bosonic coherent states as the probe field in EIT process, and employ spin squeezing, entanglement, and quantum correlation to characterize nonclassical correlations of atomic ensembles during the manipulation of the driving field. It is shown that the differences between the odd and even coherent states are comprehensively reflected in the three characterizations of nonclassical correlations generated through dark state polaritons. The even bosonic coherent states can perfectly transfer bosonic squeezing into atomic ensembles, resulting in spin squeezing. Although the odd bosonic coherent states cannot induce the spin squeezing, they have an advantage over the even bosonic coherent states in generating quantum entanglement and quantum correlations. Furthermore, we demonstrate that atomic ensembles can achieve significant spin squeezing with squeezing degree ∝ 1/N 2/3 through the one-axis twisting (OAT) model and two-axis twisting (TAT) model under the large N limit with the low excitation conditions, and the EIT mechanism was used to transfer the generated spin squeezing to the bosonic field, providing a feasible strategy for obtaining significant bosonic squeezing.

Influence of Pumping Laser Intensity Uniformity on Hybrid Optically Pumped Comagnetometer in the SERF Regime

AbstractThe effect of pumping laser intensity uniformity (PLIU) on the operation of a hybrid optically pumped comagnetometer operating in the spin‐exchange relaxation‐free regime (SERF) regime is investigated in this paper. First, an analytical steady‐state output model for the comagnetometer with two alkali‐metal atoms and one noble‐gas atom is presented. By varying the diameter of the pumping laser beam to control the PLIU, 3D distribution models of the electron spin and nuclear spin polarization under different PLIU conditions are obtained. In the experiment, the effects of PLIU on multi‐parameter, low‐frequency magnetic‐noise suppression capability, and long‐term stability of the SERF comagnetometer are studied. The results indicate that within a certain range, increasing the diameter of the pumping laser beam improves the polarization uniformity of the atomic ensemble and reduces the light shift of the comagnetometer. As a result, both the low‐frequency magnetic noise suppression capability and the long‐term stability of the system increase. However, further reduction of the pumping laser diameter leads to a reversal of the system performance metrics, suggesting the presence of a tipping point. The research presented in this article is critical for advancing the efficient polarization study and hyperpolarization of SERF comagnetometers.

Tunable multicolor optomechanically induced transparency and slow-fast light in hybrid electro-optomechanical system

Abstract We investigate the tunable multicolor optomechanically induced transparency and the effect of slow/fast light in a hybrid electro-optomechanical system, in which a degenerate optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and a Λ − type three-level atomic ensemble are placed in a optical cavity with two oscillator modes. The system is driven by a strong pump field and a weak probe field, respectively. Multicolor transparency windows appear in the output field under the atom-photon-OPA-phonon-phonon coherent interaction. And the position and width of the transparent port of the output field can be manipulated by properly modifying the different parameters of the subsystem. We also research the slow/fast light effect related to phase and group delay in the probe field. Our proposal provides a great flexibility for phonon storage and has some potential applications in quantum information processing.

Chip-scale sub-Doppler atomic spectroscopy enabled by a metasurface integrated photonic emitter

We demonstrate chip-scale sub-Doppler spectroscopy in an integrated and fiber-coupled photonic-metasurface device. The device is a stack of three planar components: a photonic mode expanding grating emitter circuit with a monolithically integrated tilt-compensating dielectric metasurface, a microfabricated atomic vapor cell, and a mirror. The metasurface photonic circuit efficiently emits a 130 μm wide (1/e2 diameter) collimated surface-normal beam with only −6.3 dB loss and couples the reflected beam back into the waveguide and connecting fiber, requiring no alignment between the stacked components. We develop a simple model based on light propagation through the photonic device to interpret the atomic spectroscopy signals and explain spectral features covering the full Rb hyperfine state manifold. The demonstration of waveguide-to-waveguide coupling through the vapor cell paves the way for atomic ensembles to be used as components in complex photonic integrated circuits, allowing the unique properties of atomic systems to be available for future highly miniaturized optical devices and systems.

Enhanced image transmission via four-wave mixing with assisted spiral phase contrast in hot atoms

Due to the diffusion motion of gas atoms, the object contour after frequency conversion becomes blurred, and the edge information of the image is always lost. Here, with assisted spiral phase contrast (SPC) imaging, we propose a scheme to preserve object edge information and enhance image recognition via four-wave mixing (FWM) process. The experimental results show that the algorithm can improve the structural similarity (SSIM) of object contour and the whole similarity of image. This work may contribute to the improvement of image quality via frequency conversion in atomic ensembles, and provides a possible implementation in all-optical image processing.

Enhancing the sensitivity of spin-exchange relaxation-free magnetometers using phase-modulated pump light with external Gaussian noise

An optical pumping scheme is proposed for reducing the gradient of electron spin polarization and suppressing light source noise in a spin-exchange relaxation-free magnetometer. This is achieved by modulating only the phase of a narrow-linewidth pump light field with external Gaussian noise. Compared to the absence of phase modulation, the uniformity of electron spin polarization was improved by over 40%, and the light-frequency noise suppression ratio of the magnetometer was enhanced by 4.3 times. Additionally, the response of the magnetometer was increased by 54%, resulting in a sensitivity of 0.34 fT/Hz1/2 at 30 Hz. The applicability of this scheme can extend to other optical pumping experiments involving large atom ensembles requiring uniform electron spin polarization distribution, which is beneficial for developing ultra-high sensitivity and high stability magnetometers essential for magneto-cardiography and magneto-encephalography research applications.

Key Technologies in Developing Chip-Scale Hot Atomic Devices for Precision Quantum Metrology.

Chip-scale devices harnessing the interaction between hot atomic ensembles and light are pushing the boundaries of precision measurement techniques into unprecedented territory. These advancements enable the realization of super-sensitive, miniaturized sensing instruments for measuring various physical parameters. The evolution of this field is propelled by a suite of sophisticated components, including miniaturized single-mode lasers, microfabricated alkali atom vapor cells, compact coil systems, scaled-down heating systems, and the application of cutting-edge micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technologies. This review delves into the essential technologies needed to develop chip-scale hot atomic devices for quantum metrology, providing a comparative analysis of each technology's features. Concluding with a forward-looking perspective, this review discusses the future potential of chip-scale hot atomic devices and the critical technologies that will drive their advancement.

Cooperative Decay of an Ensemble of Atoms in a One-Dimensional Chain with a Single Excitation

We propose a new expression of the cooperative decay rate of a one-dimensional chain of N two-level atoms in the single-excitation configuration. From it, the interference nature of superradiance and subradiance arises naturally, without the need to solve the eigenvalue problem of the atom–atom interaction Green function. The cooperative decay rate can be interpreted as the imaginary part of the expectation value of the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian of the system, evaluated over a generalized Dicke state of N atoms in the single-excitation manifold. Whereas the subradiant decay rate is zero for an infinite chain, it decreases as 1/N for a finite chain. A simple approximated expression for the cooperative decay rate is obtained as a function of the lattice constant d and the atomic number N. The results are obtained first for the scalar model and then extended to the vectorial light model, assuming all the dipoles aligned.

Generation of a tripartite photonic state via a double-Λ configuration in a four-level system

Triphotons have a more abundant energy structure compared to biphotons. Furthermore, as the number of photons increases, excellent properties such as entangled multi-qubit states, high security, flexibility, and information capacity are observed. This leads to a growing demand for multi-body quantum information processing. Here, a method is proposed to generate a three-photon entangled state using a single six-wave mixing process in an atomic ensemble. The research examines the temporal correlation characteristics of the triphoton produced in photon coincidence counting measurements, with a focus on the linear and nonlinear susceptibilities of the six-wave mixing process. These properties primarily depend on the fifth-order nonlinear coupling coefficients responsible for the damping Rabi oscillations and the group delay determined by the longitudinal detuning function. To enhance the nonlinear interaction between the optical field and the atomic ensemble, placing the atomic ensemble in a high-quality cavity and utilizing laser cooling techniques to eliminate the internal Doppler broadening effect in the atomic gas hold promise.

Trade-offs between unitary and measurement induced spin squeezing in cavity QED

We study the combined effects of measurements and unitary evolution on the preparation of spin squeezing in an ensemble of atoms interacting with a single electromagnetic field mode inside a cavity. We derive simple criteria that determine the conditions at which measurement based entanglement generation overperforms unitary protocols. We include all relevant sources of decoherence and study both their effect on the optimal spin squeezing and the overall size of the measurement noise, which limits the dynamical range of quantum-enhanced phase measurements. Our conclusions are relevant for state-of-the-art atomic clocks that aim to operate below the standard quantum limit. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Conditional Dynamics in Heterodyne Detection of Superradiant Lasing with Incoherently Pumped Atoms.

In this Letter, we use quantum trajectory theory to simulate heterodyne detection of narrow bandwidth superradiant lasing from an incoherently excited atomic ensemble. To this end, we describe the system dynamics and account for stochastic measurement backaction by second-order mean-field theory. Our simulations show how heterodyne measurements break the phase symmetry, and initiate the atomic coherence with a random phase and a long temporal phase coherence. More importantly, our theory allows direct simulation of experimental procedures for extraction of spectral information which do not lend themselves to evaluation with the quantum regression theorem.