Transition from electromagnetically induced transparency to Autler–Townes splitting in cold cesium atoms. (17th July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hao, Liping; Jiao, Yuechun; Xue, Yongmei; Han, Xiaoxuan; Bai, Suying; Zhao, Jianming; Raithel, Georg
• Is Part Of: New journal of physics. Volume 20:Number 7(2018:Jul.)
• Publication Date: 2018-07-17
• Subjects: Rydberg-EIT -- Autler–Townes splitting -- cascade three-level atom; Physics -- Periodicals; Physics; Periodicals; 530.05
• DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/aad153
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-2630

Abstract

Abstract: Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler–Townes splitting (ATS) are two similar yet distinct phenomena that modify the transmission of a weak probe field through an absorption medium in the presence of a coupling field, featured in a variety of three-level atomic systems. In many applications it is important to distinguish EIT from ATS splitting. We present EIT and ATS spectra in a three-level cascade system, involving cold cesium atoms in the 35 S 1 / 2 Rydberg state. The EIT linewidth, γ EIT, defined as the full width at half maximum of the transparency window, and the ATS splitting, γ ATS, defined as the peak-to-peak distance between AT absorption peaks, are used to delineate the EIT and ATS regimes and to characterize the transition between the regimes. In the cold-atom medium, in the weak-coupler (EIT) regime γ EIT ≈ A + B ( Ω c 2 + Ω p 2 ) / Γ eg, where Ω c and Ω p are the coupler and probe Rabi frequencies, Γ eg is the spontaneous decay rate of the intermediate 6P3/2 level, and parameters A and B that depend on the laser linewidth. We explore the transition into the strong-coupler (ATS) regime, which is characterized by the relation γ ATS ≈ Ω c . The experiments are in agreement with numerical solutions of the Master equation. Our analysis accounts for non-ideal conditions that exist in typical realizations of Rydberg-EIT, including laser-frequency jitter, Doppler mismatch of the utilized two-color Rydberg EIT system, and strong probe fields. The obtained criteria to distinguish cold-atom EIT from ATS are readily accessible and applicable in practical implementations.