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Light speed reduction to 17 metres per second in an ultracold atomic gas

Author

Listed:
  • Lene Vestergaard Hau

    (Rowland Institute for Science
    Harvard University)

  • S. E. Harris

    (Applied Sciences, Harvard University)

  • Zachary Dutton

    (Rowland Institute for Science
    Harvard University)

  • Cyrus H. Behroozi

    (Rowland Institute for Science
    Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University)

Abstract

Techniques that use quantum interference effects are being actively investigated to manipulate the optical properties of quantum systems1. One such example is electromagnetically induced transparency, a quantum effect that permits the propagation of light pulses through an otherwise opaque medium2,3,4,5. Here we report an experimental demonstration of electromagnetically induced transparency in an ultracold gas of sodium atoms, in which the optical pulses propagate at twenty million times slower than the speed of light in a vacuum. The gas is cooled to nanokelvin temperatures by laser and evaporative cooling6,7,8,9,10. The quantum interference controlling the optical properties of the medium is set up by a ‘coupling’ laser beam propagating at a right angle to the pulsed ‘probe’ beam. At nanokelvin temperatures, the variation of refractive index with probe frequency can be made very steep. In conjunction with the high atomic density, this results in the exceptionally low light speeds observed. By cooling the cloud below the transition temperature for Bose–Einstein condensation11,12,13 (causing a macroscopic population of alkali atoms in the quantum ground state of the confining potential), we observe even lower pulse propagation velocities (17?m?s−1) owing to the increased atom density. We report an inferred nonlinear refractive index of 0.18?cm2?W−1 and find that the system shows exceptionally large optical nonlinearities, which are of potential fundamental and technological interest for quantum optics.

Suggested Citation

  • Lene Vestergaard Hau & S. E. Harris & Zachary Dutton & Cyrus H. Behroozi, 1999. "Light speed reduction to 17 metres per second in an ultracold atomic gas," Nature, Nature, vol. 397(6720), pages 594-598, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:397:y:1999:i:6720:d:10.1038_17561
    DOI: 10.1038/17561
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dong, Hoang Minh & Hien, Nguyen Thi Thu & Bang, Nguyen Huy & Van Doai, Le, 2024. "Dynamics of twin pulse propagation and dual-optical switching in a Λ + Ξ atomic medium," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    2. Yesenia A. García Jomaso & Brenda Vargas & David Ley Domínguez & Román J. Armenta-Rico & Huziel E. Sauceda & César L. Ordoñez-Romero & Hugo A. Lara-García & Arturo Camacho-Guardian & Giuseppe Pirrucci, 2024. "Intercavity polariton slows down dynamics in strongly coupled cavities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Yicheng Zhu & Jiankun Hou & Qi Geng & Boyi Xue & Yuping Chen & Xianfeng Chen & Li Ge & Wenjie Wan, 2024. "Storing light near an exceptional point," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    4. Huang, Kai-Yu & Zhao, Yuan & Wu, Si-Qing & Xu, Si-Liu & Belić, Milivoj R. & Malomed, Boris A., 2022. "Quantum squeezing of vector slow-light solitons in a coherent atomic system," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    5. Mandilara, Aikaterini & Ivić, Zoran & Čevizović, Dalibor & Pržulj, Željko, 2017. "Self-induced transparency of the optical phonons," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 14-20.
    6. Zhongyin Li & Ji Lin & Huijun Li, 2023. "Generation and Controllability of High-Dimensional Rogue Waves in an Electromagnetically Induced Transparent Medium," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-10, April.
    7. Akyüz, Cenk & Erman, Fatih & Uncu, Haydar, 2024. "The harmonic oscillator potential perturbed by a combination of linear and non-linear Dirac delta interactions with application to Bose–Einstein condensation," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 641(C).

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