Centre for Atom Optics and Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy |
Tunable delay lines for short pulses of light
Supervisor:Alexander Akulshin & Russell McLean
Suitable year level:4th or 5th year
Project Description
Light induced ground-state coherence can dramatically change the optical properties of an atomic medium. The best known effects are resonant light absorption cancellation due to quantum interference (electromagnetically induced transparency), slow light and fast light.
We have already demonstrated that a pulse of light can propagate with a group velocity which is several orders of magnitude smaller than the speed of light in vacuum c (slow-light media) or even negative (fast-light media). However, the very steep atomic dispersion due to ground-state coherence occurs in a narrow spectral region, imposing severe limits on how short the pulse can be.
This experimental project will aim to develop tunable delay lines suitable for short (of order 10 ns) optical pulses by extending previously developed techniques to laser cooled atomic media, where longer interaction times should allow the short pulses to be used. The project will involve some fundamental atomic physics and quantum mechanics and will obtain hands-on experience with laser cooling techniques, high-resolution spectroscopy, and laser frequency stabilization.
Expectations/Assessment
The usual written technical report, and a working experiment.
Pre-requisite Knowledge
You will learn the atomic physics required; the main prerequisite is the willingness to attempt a challenging experiment.
Further details:aakoulchine @ swin.edu.au (ext 4307) or rmclean @ swin.edu.au (ext 8555)
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