Abstract

We have initiated a new class of coherent transient experiments with Doppler- broadened atoms confined in a vapor cell following proposals in recently published work.^1-3 A spatially modulated coherence is created between magnetic sublevels of the F = 3 ground state of ⁸⁵Rb by a "standing wave" pulse. This pulse consists of two opposite circularly polarized traveling waves with wave vectors K₁ and K₂ at a small angle θ. The coherence grating is probed by the application of a "readout" pulse along K₂, The resulting coherent emission along K₁ is detected by a heterodyne technique.

© 1996 Optical Society of America