Using phase dynamics in EIT to probe ground state relaxation in rubidium vapor

Abstract

We have studied a time response of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a rubidium vapor to a rapid variation of optical phase. We have observed a very fast growth of the absorption when the phase of the optical field has been abruptly changed, followed by a slow return to the level of steady-state absorption. The recovery time decreases with increasing optical power. A simple theoretical analysis shows that under our experimental conditions the low power limit of the recovery time is determined by the ground relaxation time. In our case it is defined by a time-of-flight of rubidium atoms through laser beam. The obtained value of the ground state relaxation time is in a good agreement with result of direct measurements by ‘relaxation in the dark’ method. Our technique based on phase dynamics in EIT can be used for investigation of the ground state relaxation and the fast control of EIT.

Keywords:

• electromagnetically induced transparency
• optical phase
• ground state relaxation
• laser beam profile

Acknowledgements

We thank P. Anisimov, M.M. Kash and V.L. Velichansky for useful discussions. This work is supported by the NSF Grant EEC-0540832 (MIRTHE ERC), the Defense Advanced Research Projects, the Office of Naval Research, the Robert A. Welch Foundation (Grant # A1261).