Photonic crystal optics in cold atomic gases

Abstract

We describe propagation of light in a gas with periodic density modulation, demonstrating photonic-crystal-like refraction with negative refraction angles. We address the role of poorly defined boundaries and damping, and derive an optical analog of the quantum adiabatic theorem. For Cs atoms in an optical lattice, we show that relying on semi-adiabatic propagation one can excite and spatially split positively and negatively refracting modes at experimentally available gas densities.

5 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (6)

• Illusion optics: The optical transformation of an object into another object
• Adiabatic approximation in open quantum systems
• Tunable negative refraction without absorption via electromagnetically induced chirality
• Photonic Band Gaps in One-Dimensionally Ordered Cold Atomic Vapors
• Fano-Hopfield model and photonic band gaps for an arbitrary atomic lattice
• Photonic crystals as metamaterials