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A gigahertz-bandwidth atomic probe based on the slow-light Faraday effect

Nature Photonics volume 3, pages 225–229 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The ability to probe quantum systems on short timescales is central to the advancement of quantum technology. Here we show that this is possible using an off-resonant dispersive probe. By applying a magnetic field to an atomic vapour the spectra of the group index for left and right circularly polarized light become displaced, leading to a slow-light Faraday effect that results in large dispersion and high transmission over tens of gigahertz. This large frequency range opens up the possibility of probing dynamics on a nanosecond timescale. In addition, we show that the group index enhances the spectral sensitivity of the polarization rotation, giving large rotations of up to 15π rad for continuous-wave light. Finally, we demonstrate dynamic broadband pulse switching by rotating a linearly polarized nanosecond pulse by π/2 rad with negligible distortion and transmission close to unity.

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Figure 1: Illustration of the Faraday effect for pulsed light.
Figure 2: Schematic of the experimental apparatus.
Figure 3: Optical pulse propagation in a slow-light medium.
Figure 4: Continuous-wave propagation in a slow-light medium.
Figure 5: Determination of relative phase and refractive indices using a c.w. beam.
Figure 6: Broadband Faraday rotation in a slow-light medium.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank M.P.A. Jones for valuable discussion. This work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Paul Siddons, Nia C. Bell, Yifei Cai, Charles S. Adams & Ifan G. Hughes

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  1. Paul Siddons
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  2. Nia C. Bell
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  3. Yifei Cai
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  4. Charles S. Adams
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  5. Ifan G. Hughes
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Contributions

P.S. carried out the experiment and theoretical modelling, and contributed to the writing of the paper. N.C.B. and Y.C. assisted with the experiment. C.S.A. and I.G.H contributed to the writing of the paper and were responsible for project management.

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Correspondence to Paul Siddons.

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Siddons, P., Bell, N., Cai, Y. et al. A gigahertz-bandwidth atomic probe based on the slow-light Faraday effect. Nature Photon 3, 225–229 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2009.27

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