Transfer and evolution of structured polarization in a double-V atomic system

Abstract

We numerically investigate the transfer of optical information from a vector-vortex control beam to an unstructured probe beam, as mediated by an atomic vapour. The right and left circular components of these beams drive the atomic transitions of a double-$V$ system, with the atoms acting as a spatially varying circular birefringent medium. Modelling the propagation of the light fields, we find that, for short distances, the vectorial light structure is transferred from the control field to the probe. However, for larger propagation lengths, diffraction causes the circular components of the probe field to spatially separate. We model this system for the D1 line of cold rubidium atoms. Our investigation is a first step to investigating the coupled dynamics of internal and external degrees of freedom of atoms in four wave mixing.

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