Experimental investigation of light storage of diffraction-free and quasi-diffraction-free beams in hot atomic gas cell

Abstract

In this article we report on the experimental investigation of light storage for several types of diffractionfree beams (Bessel and Airy beams) and quasi-diffraction-free beams by utilizing electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) technique in a hot atomic gas cell. The experimental results show that the diffraction-free and quasi-diffraction-free beams have better storage performances when compared with ordinary images possessing similar spatial profiles. Meanwhile, the Bessel beams and the quasidiffraction-free images are able to maintain their spatial profiles with a long storage time while the sidelobes of the Airy beam are gradually depleted with the increment of the storage time. We quantitatively analyze the storage results and give physical explanations behind these phenomena. Furthermore, the self-healing of the retrieved diffraction-free beams is verified, signifying that their characteristics preserve well after storage.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

quantum memory / electromagnetically induced transparency / diffraction-free beam

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