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Abstract:
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Coherent nonlinear effects such as Electromagnetically Induced Transparency
(EIT), Coherent Population Trapping (CPT), and Slow light are studied in thermal
Rb vapor by both continuous and pulsed laser fields. This work primarily includes
three parts: (I) mode-locked rubidium laser and its applications (II) enhanced coupling
between optical and sound waves in the forward direction via ultra-slow light
(III) optical steering via ultra-slow light in rubidium vapor.
In part(I), I describe the construction and study of a mode-locked rubidium laser
operating at the Rb D1 line using an active mode-locking technique inside the laser
cavity. The mode-locked laser field is used to observe coherent effects in a dense
rubidium gas.
In part(II), I experimentally demonstrate enhanced acoustic-optic coupling that
occurs when the velocity of sound is close to the group velocity of light. Dragging of
the light by effective motion of the gas in a Rb cell is the origin of enhanced coupling.
Good agreement between theory and experiment is found.
In part(III), I experimentally demonstrate optical beam deflection in coherently
driven rubidium vapor due to the steep refraction index profile in the region of EIT. |
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