Light storage based on four-wave mixing and electromagnetically induced transparency in cold atoms

Abstract

We performed an experiment to observe the storages of an input probe field and an idler field generated through an off-axis four-wave mixing (FWM) process via a double-lambda configuration in a cold atomic ensemble. We analyzed the underlying physics in detail and found that the retrieved idler field came from two parts if there was no single-photon detuning for pump pulse: part 1 was from the collective atomic spin (the input probe field, the coupling field and the pump field combined to generate the idle field through FWM, then the idler was stored through electromagnetically induced transparency.); part 2 was from the generated new FWM process during the retrieval process (the retrieved probe field, the coupling field and the pump field combined to generate a new FWM signal). If there was single-photon detuning for pump pulse, then the retrieved idler was mainly from part 2. The retrieved two fields exhibited damped oscillations with the same oscillatory period when a homogeneous external magnetic field was applied, which was caused by the Larmor spin precession. We also experimentally realized the storage and retrieval of an image of light using FWM for the first time. In which, an image was added into the input signal. After the storage, the retrieved idler beams and input signal carried the same image. This image storage technique holds promises for application in image processing, remote sensing and quantum communication.

14 pages, 9 figures, 7 equations

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• Single-Photon-Level Quantum Image Memory Based on Cold Atomic Ensembles
• Storing High-Dimensional Quantum States in a Cold Atomic Ensemble
• Multiple images storage and frequency conversion in a cold atomic ensemble
• Spatial Kramers-Kronig relation and controlled unidirectional reflection in cold atoms
• Four wave mixing based generation and control of light pulse
• Accessing and Manipulating Dispersive Shock Waves in a Nonlinear and Nonlocal Rydberg Medium
• Off-axis retrieval of orbital angular momentum of light stored in cold atoms
• Indirect precise angular control using four-wave mixing
• High-dimensional entanglement between distant atomic ensemble memories