Artist’s visualization of a laser hanging atoms in an optical cavity. Scientists found a brand new phenomenon referred to as “collectively induced transparency” (CIT) the place teams of atoms stop to replicate mild at sure frequencies. The crew discovered this impact by confining ytterbium atoms in an optical cavity and exposing them to laser mild. At sure frequencies, a transparency window emerged during which mild bypassed the cavity unimpeded. Credit: Ella Maru Studio
Newly Observed Effect Makes Atoms Transparent to Certain Frequencies of Light
Researchers at Caltech have found a brand new phenomenon, “collectively induced transparency” (CIT), the place mild passes unimpeded by means of teams of atoms at sure frequencies. This discovering may probably enhance quantum reminiscence programs.
A newly found phenomenon dubbed “collectively induced transparency” (CIT) causes teams of atoms to abruptly cease reflecting mild at particular frequencies.
CIT was found by confining ytterbium atoms inside an optical cavity—basically, a tiny field for mild—and blasting them with a laser. Although the laser’s mild will bounce off the atoms up to a degree, because the frequency of the sunshine is adjusted, a transparency window seems during which the sunshine merely passes by means of the cavity unimpeded.
“We never knew this transparency window existed,” says Caltech’s Andrei Faraon (BS ’04), William L. Valentine Professor of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, and co-corresponding creator of a paper on the invention that was printed on April 26 within the journal Nature. “Our research has primarily become a journey to find out why.”
An evaluation of the transparency window factors to it being the results of interactions within the cavity between teams of atoms and lightweight. This phenomenon is akin to damaging interference, during which waves from two or extra sources can cancel each other out. The teams of atoms regularly soak up and re-emit mild, which typically leads to the reflection of the laser’s mild. However, on the CIT frequency, there’s a steadiness created by the re-emitted mild from every of the atoms in a gaggle, leading to a drop in reflection.
“An ensemble of atoms strongly coupled to the same optical field can lead to unexpected results,” says co-lead creator Mi Lei, a graduate scholar at Caltech.
The optical resonator, which measures simply 20 microns in size and consists of options smaller than 1 micron, was fabricated on the Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech.
“Through conventional quantum optics measurement techniques, we found that our system had reached an unexplored regime, revealing new physics,” says graduate scholar Rikuto Fukumori, co-lead creator of the paper.
Besides the transparency phenomenon, the researchers additionally noticed that the gathering of atoms can soak up and emit mild from the laser both a lot quicker or a lot slower in comparison with a single atom depending on the intensity of the laser. These processes, called superradiance and subradiance, and their underlying physics are still poorly understood because of the large number of interacting quantum particles.
“We were able to monitor and control quantum mechanical light–matter interactions at nanoscale,” says co-corresponding author Joonhee Choi, a former postdoctoral scholar at Caltech who is now an assistant professor at Stanford University.
Though the research is primarily fundamental and expands our understanding of the mysterious world of quantum effects, this discovery has the potential to one day help pave the way to more efficient quantum memories in which information is stored in an ensemble of strongly coupled atoms. Faraon has also worked on creating quantum storage by manipulating the interactions of multiple vanadium atoms.
“Besides memories, these experimental systems provide important insight about developing future connections between quantum computers,” says Manuel Endres, professor of physics and Rosenberg Scholar, who is a co-author of the study.
Reference: “Many-body cavity quantum electrodynamics with driven inhomogeneous emitters” by Mi Lei, Rikuto Fukumori, Jake Rochman, Bihui Zhu, Manuel Endres, Joonhee Choi and Andrei Faraon, 26 April 2023, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05884-1
Coauthors include Bihui Zhu of the University of Oklahoma and Jake Rochman (MS ’19, PhD ’22). This research was funded by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research.
