A giant electro-optic effect using polarizable dark states

Mohapatra, A.K.; Bason, M.G.; Butscher, B.; Weatherill, K.J.; Adams, C.S.

doi:10.1038/nphys1091

A giant electro-optic effect using polarizable dark states

Mohapatra, A.K.; Bason, M.G.; Butscher, B.; Weatherill, K.J.; Adams, C.S.

Authors

A.K. Mohapatra

M.G. Bason

B. Butscher

Professor Kevin Weatherill k.j.weatherill@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Professor Stuart Adams c.s.adams@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

The electro-optic effect, where the refractive index of a medium is modified by an electric field, is of central importance in nonlinear optics, laser technology, quantum optics and optical communications. In general, electro-optic coefficients are very weak and a medium with a giant electro-optic coefficient could have profound implications for precision electrometry and nonlinear optics at the single-photon level. Here we propose and demonstrate a giant d.c. electro-optic effect on the basis of polarizable (Rydberg) dark states. When a medium is prepared in a dark state consisting of a superposition of ground and Rydberg energy levels, it becomes transparent and acquires a refractive index that is dependent on the energy of the highly polarizable Rydberg state. We demonstrate phase modulation of the light field in the Rydberg-dark-state medium and measure an electro-optic coefficient that is more than six orders of magnitude larger than in usual Kerr media.

Citation

Mohapatra, A., Bason, M., Butscher, B., Weatherill, K., & Adams, C. (2008). A giant electro-optic effect using polarizable dark states. Nature Physics, 4(11), 890-894. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys1091

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Nov 1, 2008
Deposit Date	Sep 24, 2010
Publicly Available Date	Oct 6, 2010
Journal	Nature Physics
Print ISSN	1745-2473
Electronic ISSN	1745-2481
Publisher	Nature Research
Peer Reviewed	Not Peer Reviewed
Volume	4
Issue	11
Pages	890-894
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys1091