Diffraction-less multidimensional light propagation in coherently controlled media

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A long sought-after goal both in science is the all-optical processing of information, replacing state-of-the-art electronic processing. A major obstacle for this is diffraction, which sets bounds to imaging and writing capabilities of optical systems as well as to the lossless transmission of images. As a possible solution, using mature techniques of quantum optics, it was shown that specifically designed modes of a light field could propagate through a suitably prepared medium without diffraction. Very recently, a fundamentally different approach was proposed and experimentally verified, which is capable of transmitting arbitrary images without diffraction or distortion through a medium. This promising result opens the possibility for many fascinating applications. The present proposal aims at exploring these possibilities, and at overcoming certain limitations of the present schemes such as strong absorption. The main objectives are1) to develop analytical and numerical methods to comprehensively model multidimensional light propagation in media with spatially varying optical properties,2) to study new atomic model systems with the aims of reducing absorption losses and of improving spatial resolution of the transmitted images,3) to study other sources of phase modulation which is the key to diffraction-less propagation, in particular based on the Kerr effect and on cooperative effects,4) to explore novel applications such as beam steering and splitting for arbitrary images,5) to analyze new parameter regimes including intense image beams and a realistic treatment of Doppler broadening.