Controlling Nonlinear and Quantum Dynamics in Multi-Level Coherent Media

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Atomic coherence and quantum interference effects in multi-level atomic systems have attracted great attention in the past decade. Many interesting effects have been observed experimentally such as electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), dramatic slowing of the speed of light, storage of light pulses in atomic assembles, and enhanced nonlinear optical processes. The research supported by this grant will include studies of nonlinear and quantum dynamical effects in multi-level atomic systems interacting with extremely weak laser beams (at the single-photon level). These studies will increase fundamental understanding of basic physics and lead to discoveries of novel effects. Both linear and nonlinear optical properties in multi-level systems will be greatly modified and controlled experimentally by the induced atomic coherence. Additionally these multi-level atoms will be placed inside an optical cavity so that additional interesting nonlinear and quantum dynamical phenomena can be studied, such as controlling chaos, single-photon switching, quantum logic gates, and quantum tunneling. These fundamental investigations will lead to new discoveries and novel design concepts for optoelectronic devices. Understanding and controlling nonlinear and quantum dynamical behaviors (such as chaos, stochastic resonance, and tunneling) in these well-controlled laboratory systems can have great impacts in many other areas of sciences with similar complicated nonlinear dynamical behaviors, such as climate, chemistry, biological science, medical science, and other branches of physics. Investigations of nonlinear and quantum effects in the multi-level coherent EIT systems with low light intensities will be essential in developing single-photon all-optical switching or quantum logic gates for quantum information processing and quantum networking, and contributing to future technology advances. Another important benefit in the proposed research is training graduate and undergraduate students working in the fundamental and applied research projects in modern optical laboratory.