Optical pattern formation with a 2-level nonlinearity

A Camara; Robin Kaiser; G. Labeyrie; William Firth; Gian-Luca Oppo; Gordon Robb; Aidan Arnold; Thorsten Ackemann

Optical pattern formation with a 2-level nonlinearity

A Camara, Robin Kaiser, G. Labeyrie, William Firth, Gian-Luca Oppo, Gordon Robb, Aidan Arnold, Thorsten Ackemann

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

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Abstract

We present an experimental and theoretical investigation of spontaneous pattern formation in the transverse section of a single retro-reflected laser beam passing through a cloud of cold Rubidium atoms. In contrast to previously investigated systems, the nonlinearity at work here is that of a 2-level atom, which realizes the paradigmatic situation considered in many theoretical studies of optical pattern formation. In particular, we are able to observe the disappearance of the patterns at high intensity due to the intrinsic saturable character of 2-level atomic transitions.

Original language	English
Journal	Physical Review A
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2015

Keywords

spontaneous pattern forming
retro reflected laser beams
optical pattern formation
atomic transitions

Access to Document

Camara-etal-PRA-2015-Optical-pattern-formation-with-a-2-levelAccepted author manuscript, 1.41 MB

http://journals.aps.org/pra/issues

Projects

1 Finished

Cooperative effects and nonlinear optics in dense ensembles of cold atoms

Ackemann, T., Arnold, A., Firth, W., Oppo, G. & Robb, G.

Royal Society

1/06/11 → 31/05/14

Project: Research

Cite this

Camara, A., Kaiser, R., Labeyrie, G., Firth, W., Oppo, G-L., Robb, G., Arnold, A., & Ackemann, T. (Accepted/In press). Optical pattern formation with a 2-level nonlinearity. Physical Review A.

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abstract = "We present an experimental and theoretical investigation of spontaneous pattern formation in the transverse section of a single retro-reflected laser beam passing through a cloud of cold Rubidium atoms. In contrast to previously investigated systems, the nonlinearity at work here is that of a 2-level atom, which realizes the paradigmatic situation considered in many theoretical studies of optical pattern formation. In particular, we are able to observe the disappearance of the patterns at high intensity due to the intrinsic saturable character of 2-level atomic transitions.",

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author = "A Camara and Robin Kaiser and G. Labeyrie and William Firth and Gian-Luca Oppo and Gordon Robb and Aidan Arnold and Thorsten Ackemann",

note = "Date of Accepted: 20/06/2015",

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T1 - Optical pattern formation with a 2-level nonlinearity

AU - Camara, A

AU - Kaiser, Robin

AU - Labeyrie, G.

AU - Firth, William

AU - Oppo, Gian-Luca

AU - Robb, Gordon

AU - Arnold, Aidan

AU - Ackemann, Thorsten

N1 - Date of Accepted: 20/06/2015

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - We present an experimental and theoretical investigation of spontaneous pattern formation in the transverse section of a single retro-reflected laser beam passing through a cloud of cold Rubidium atoms. In contrast to previously investigated systems, the nonlinearity at work here is that of a 2-level atom, which realizes the paradigmatic situation considered in many theoretical studies of optical pattern formation. In particular, we are able to observe the disappearance of the patterns at high intensity due to the intrinsic saturable character of 2-level atomic transitions.

AB - We present an experimental and theoretical investigation of spontaneous pattern formation in the transverse section of a single retro-reflected laser beam passing through a cloud of cold Rubidium atoms. In contrast to previously investigated systems, the nonlinearity at work here is that of a 2-level atom, which realizes the paradigmatic situation considered in many theoretical studies of optical pattern formation. In particular, we are able to observe the disappearance of the patterns at high intensity due to the intrinsic saturable character of 2-level atomic transitions.

KW - spontaneous pattern forming

KW - retro reflected laser beams

KW - optical pattern formation

KW - atomic transitions

UR - http://journals.aps.org/pra/issues

M3 - Article

JO - Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics

JF - Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics

SN - 1050-2947

ER -