Applications of Super-enhanced Two-photon Stimulated Emission Processes

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The primary goal of this program is to develop two-photon lasers that operate in different regimes and that are based on a new technique for super-enhancing the two-photon stimulated emission process in laser driven potassium. The researchers are using this device to explore the operating characteristics of a broad-area two-photon laser that is expected to spontaneously form two-dimensional bright localized structures in a dark background (transverse spatial solitons), a topic of current interested in the nonlinear and laser dynamics communities. They are also investigating whether the system displays quantum images, that is, quantum-correlated spatial structures. In addition, the researchers are performing experiments to determine whether the single-transverse-mode version of the laser is capable of generating bright polarization-entangled twin beams of light, which may be useful in application such as quantum lithography, for example. In the final phase of the project, the researchers are using an ultra-high-finesse optical resonator to head toward the regime of strong atom-cavity coupling for two-photon processes, which may find applications in multiple photon quantum state engineering and the controlled generation of two-photon states. The research is being conducted in an interdisciplinary environment that has been successful in recruiting and retaining women scientists. An international collaboration is another important educational aspect of the program.