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ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR OPTICS

An atomic spin on amplification of light

Nature Photonics volume 16, pages 339–340 (2022)Cite this article

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Non-reciprocal physical systems exhibit direction-dependent propagation of light, enabling a myriad of devices such as diodes and circulators. A new experiment demonstrates non-reciprocal amplification of light via atomic spins, driving photons on a one-way street through optical nanofibres.

Reciprocity refers to the symmetry of going the same way forwards as backwards. Non-reciprocal phenomena arise in a variety of physical systems ranging from nuclear scattering and optomechanical ring resonators to the groundbreaking seismic waves and gravitational Faraday rotation in pulsars. Electromagnetic non-reciprocity refers to the idea that when light travels from a source to a detector, its optical properties — such as transmission, refraction and absorption — can be different as one interchanges the source and detector; violating the conventional quid pro quo of electrodynamics.

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Fig. 1: Circularly polarized photons travelling through optical nanofibres.
Fig. 2: Atomic level structure with two Lambda-type transitions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electrical, Energy and Computer Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Kanu Sinha

  2. Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Elizabeth A. Goldschmidt

Authors
  1. Kanu Sinha
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  2. Elizabeth A. Goldschmidt
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Kanu Sinha or Elizabeth A. Goldschmidt.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Sinha, K., Goldschmidt, E.A. An atomic spin on amplification of light. Nat. Photon. 16, 339–340 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-022-00992-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-022-00992-2

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