title: Low-light-level all-optical switching.
abstract: We propose an all-optical switch that utilizes the technique of storage and retrieval of light pulses. A single photon (probe pulse) switched by another (switching pulse) is feasible, and the on-off ratio can be as large as 10 dB. We have experimentally demonstrated that the energy of the retrieved probe pulse is reduced to about 10% because of the presence of a switching pulse with an energy per unit area of one photon per lambda(2)/(2pi). The achieved result does not depend on the coupling intensity, the atomic optical density, or the width and shape of the switching pulse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, National Hsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 300, China.
authors.forename: Chang-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yong-Fan
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sheng-Chiun
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wei-Hsun
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Pei-Chen
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Kuan
authors.forename: Ite A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Yu