A M Akulshin et al 2004 J. Opt. B: Quantum Semiclass. Opt. 6 491 doi:10.1088/1464-4266/6/12/002
A M Akulshin, A I Sidorov, R J McLean and P Hannaford
Show affiliationsWe show that long-lived bright Zeeman coherence that is responsible for absorption enhancement and steep anomalous dispersion in an atomic medium gives rise to a giant nonlinearity of the atomic susceptibility, in a similar manner to the dark coherence responsible for the well-known electromagnetically induced transparency. The intensity dependent refractive index of Cs vapour with a ground state Zeeman coherence in the vicinity of the D2 resonance line has been measured at low light intensity. The Kerr nonlinearity in the bright coherent state (n2 ≈ 1.0 × 10-6 cm2 mW-1) is higher than that in a dark state under the same experimental conditions. Higher order nonlinear components of the refractive index have also been estimated for both coherent states.
42.65.Hw Phase conjugation; photorefractive and Kerr effects
Issue 12 (December 2004)
Received 18 August 2004, accepted for publication 8 October 2004
Published 15 October 2004
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