Related papers: Slow-light pulses in moving media
We analytically study the linear propagation of arbitrarily shaped light-pulses through an absorbing medium with a narrow transparency-window or through a resonant amplifying medium. We point out that, under certain general conditions, the…
The group velocity for pulses in an optical medium can be negative at frequencies between those of a pair of laser-pumped spectral lines. The gain medium then can amplify the leading edge of a pulse resulting in a time advance of the pulse…
We review the theory of light propagation in moving media with extremely low group velocity. We intend to clarify the most elementary features of monochromatic slow light in a moving medium and, whenever possible, to give an instructive…
The interaction between a light pulse, traveling in air, and a generic linear, non-absorbing and dispersive structure is analyzed. It is shown that energy conservation imposes a constraint between the group velocities of the transmitted and…
Pulse propagation is considered in an inhomogeneously broadened medium of three-level atoms in a V-configuration, dressed by a counter-propagating pump pulse. A significant signal slowdown is demonstrated in this of the three frequency…
We investigate theoretically the phenomenon of so-called fast light in an unconventional regime, using pulses sufficiently short that relaxation effects in a gain medium can be ignored completely. We show that previously recognized gain…
In two models it is shown that a light pulse propagates from a vacuum into certain media with velocity greater than that of a light in a vacuum (c). By numerical calculation the propagating properties of such a light are given.
We demonstrate slow and stored light in Rb vapor with a combination of desirable features: minimal loss and distortion of the pulse shape, and large fractional delay (> 10). This behavior is enabled by: (i) a group index that can be…
The propagation of light-pulse with negative group-velocity in a nonlinear medium is studied theoretically. We show that the necessary conditions for these effects to be observable are realized in a three-level $\Lambda$-system interacting…
We study the propagation of light pulses in an absorbing medium when the frequency of their carrier coincides with a zero of the refractive index dispersion. Although slow light and, a fortiori, fast light are not expected in such…
The mechanisms leading to a seemingly superluminal propagation of light in dispersive media are examined. The anomalous dispersion near an absorption line, involved in the first experiments displaying negative group velocity propagation, is…
Slow-light media are of interest in the context of quantum computing and enhanced measurement of quantum effects, with particular emphasis on using slow-light with single photons. We use light-in-flight imaging with a single photon…
We show that the propagation of light in a Doppler broadened medium can be slowed down considerably eventhough such medium exhibits very flat dispersion. The slowing down is achieved by the application of a saturating counter propagating…
We present experimental evidence that light storage, i.e. the controlled release of a light pulse by an atomic sample dependent on the past presence of a writing pulse, is not restricted to small group velocity media but can also occur in a…
Almost twenty years ago the light was slowed down to less than $10^{-7}$ of its vacuum speed in a cloud of ultracold atoms of sodium. Upon a sudden turn-off of the coupling laser, a slow light pulse can be imprinted on cold atoms such that…
We show that an incident wavepacket at the boundary to a medium with extremely slow group velocity, experiences enhanced reflection and a substantial spatial and temporal distortion of the transmitted wave packet. In the limit of vanishing…
Gouy's phase of transversally limited pulses can create a strong anomalous dispersion in vacuum leading to highly superluminal and negative group velocities. As a consequence, a focusing pulse can diverge beyond the focus before converging…
We consider pulse propagation in a linear anomalously dispersive medium where the group velocity exceeds the speed of light in vacuum (c) or even becomes negative. A signal velocity is defined operationally based on the optical…
Anomalous dispersion cannot occur in a transparent passive medium where electromagnetic radiation is being absorbed at all frequencies, as pointed out by Landau and Lifshitz. Here we show, both theoretically and experimentally, that…
The propagation of the arbitrarily polarized pulse of the weak probe field through the resonant medium of Lambda-type three-level atoms with degenerate levels adiabatically driven by the coherent coupling field is considered. It is shown…