Optically tunable grating in a V+ Ξ configuration involving a Rydberg state

Opt Express. 2020 Aug 3;28(16):23820-23828. doi: 10.1364/OE.400618.

Abstract

A novel tunable all-optical grating is realized experimentally in a V+Ξ configuration coherent rubidium thermal vapor. This new energy level structure employs a Rydberg level as the uppermost level and contains two typical electromagnetically induced transparency energy level configurations with the same probe field. Compared with the traditional V-type three-level grating, a significant improvement of the diffraction efficiency of this novel grating was observed. Its improvement was then also demonstrated experimentally by the transition spectrum and theoretically by a comprehensive simulation. The diffraction efficiency gain introduced by the control laser field was tuned with several experimental parameters, such as the atomic density and the control field intensity. And the maximum enhancement rate of first-order diffraction efficiency is proved to be as high as 30%. Such a novel all-optical tunable grating promises to be the new driving force in the advancement of all-optical communications and information technology.