title: Spatially dependent electromagnetically induced transparency.
abstract: Recent years have seen vast progress in the generation and detection of structured light, with potential applications in high capacity optical data storage and continuous variable quantum technologies. Here we measure the transmission of structured light through cold rubidium atoms and observe regions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), using the phase profile as control parameter for the atomic opacity. With q plates we generate a probe beam with azimuthally varying phase and polarization structure, and its right and left circular polarization components provide the probe and control of an EIT transition. We observe an azimuthal modulation of the absorption profile that is dictated by the phase and polarization structure of the probe laser. Conventional EIT systems do not exhibit phase sensitivity. We show, however, that a weak transverse magnetic field closes the EIT transitions, thereby generating phase-dependent dark states which in turn lead to phase-dependent transparency, in agreement with our measurements.
authors: SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Radwell
authors: SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
authors: T W
authors: TW
authors: Clark
authors: Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, 80126 Napoli, Italy.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Piccirillo
authors: SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
authors: S M
authors: SM
authors: Barnett
authors: SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Franke-Arnold