Abstract

In recent years, vector beams (VBs) with spatially varying polarization profiles have been used in many fields. Here we study the transmission properties of a hybrid VB passing through atomic vapor. We observe a four-petal pattern which is induced by the rapid transport of atomic coherence. This intensity distribution can be modified by coherence attenuation and absorption enhancement controlled by an external magnetic field. A second experiment with orthogonal circularly polarized states shows that the quantum coherence can be induced by two spatially separated laser beams and support our interpretation of our results for the hybrid VB experiment. Our results may have applications in optical manipulation, the measurement of magnetic fields, and the study of quantum coherence in atomic ensembles.

© 2019 Optical Society of America

Manipulating the transmission of vector beam with spatially polarized atomic ensemble

Xin Yang, Aiping Fang, Jinwen Wang, Yunke Li, Xiyuan Chen, Xinqi Zhang, Mingtao Cao, Dong Wei, Klaus Müller-Dethlefs, Hong Gao, and Fuli Li
Opt. Express 27(4) 3900-3908 (2019)

Visualization of magnetic fields with cylindrical vector beams in a warm atomic vapor

Shuwei Qiu, Jinwen Wang, Francesco Castellucci, Mingtao Cao, Shougang Zhang, Thomas W. Clark, Sonja Franke-Arnold, Hong Gao, and Fuli Li
Photon. Res. 9(12) 2325-2331 (2021)

Collapse of hybrid vector beam in Rb atomic vapor

Huajie Hu, Dajin Luo, Churong Pan, Yan Qin, Yingxin Zhang, Dong Wei, Haixia Chen, Hong Gao, and Fuli Li
Opt. Lett. 46(11) 2614-2617 (2021)

Trans-spectral vector beam nonlinear conversion via parametric four-wave mixing in alkali vapor

Churong Pan, Chengdong Yang, Huajie Hu, Jinwen Wang, Yingxin Zhang, Yan Qin, Dong Wei, Haixia Chen, Hong Gao, and Fuli Li
Opt. Lett. 46(22) 5579-5582 (2021)

Experimental realization of optical storage of vector beams of light in warm atomic vapor

Ying-Hao Ye, Ming-Xin Dong, Yi-Chen Yu, Dong-Sheng Ding, and Bao-Sen Shi
Opt. Lett. 44(7) 1528-1531 (2019)