title: Tuning the phase sensitivity of a double-lambda system with a static magnetic field.
abstract: We study the effect of a DC magnetic field on the phase sensitivity of a double-lambda system coupled by two laser fields, a probe and a pump. It is demonstrated that the gain and the refractive index of the probe can be controlled by either the magnetic field or the relative phase between the two laser fields. More interestingly, when the system reduces to a single-lambda system, turning on the magnetic field transforms the system from a phase-insensitive process to a phase-sensitive one. In the pulsed-probe regime, we observed switching between slow and fast light when the magnetic field or the relative phase was adjusted. Experiments using a coated87Rb vapor cell produced results in good agreement with our numerical simulation. This work provides a novel and simple means to manipulate phase sensitive electromagnetically-induced-transparency or four-wave mixing, and could be useful for applications in quantum optics, nonlinear optics and magnetometery based on such systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Photonic Structures Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Xiwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007834:Lasers; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D008280:Magnetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation*