Slow Light: New Physical Mechanisms and Advanced Applications

慢光：新物理机制和高级应用

• 批准号: 0701585
• 负责人: Robert Boyd
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Rochester
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-04-15 至 2010-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0701585&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Slow; Light; New; Physical; Mechanisms

Intellectual Merit. This research is aimed at developing improved methods for controlling the velocity with which light pulses propagate through material systems and at developing technologically important applications of these techniques. One of these applications is the development of interferometers with increased spectral sensitivity. Simple theoretical arguments show that the sensitivity of an interferometer can be increased by a factor as large as the group index of a material placed in one arm of the interferometer. In another study, fast-light techniques will be implemented to prevent the occurrence of laser damage in high-power laser systems. When a light pulse enters a material for which the group index is positive but smaller than unity, the pulse becomes stretched in space, and thus the energy density is lowered. This effect tends to suppress the occurrence of laser damage. Furthermore, studies will be performed of how the coherence properties of light beams are transformed on propagation through materials with extreme group velocities. A novel physical process for controlling the velocity of light will also be studied. This process involves the nonlinear response of the strongly driven two-level atom. In the presence of an intense laser field, the absorption spectrum of a two-level atom is strongly modified and is split into three components, each of which has properties that can be used to control the velocity of light. Both gain and absorption features are present, leading to both slow and fast light speeds, with modulation bandwidths as large as several GHz.Broader Impact. The broader impact of the proposed activity includes the following: This work will be conducted by a research group consisting of students and post-doctoral scientists from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. They are encouraged to work collaboratively and to explore the intellectual underpinnings of their research projects. In addition, the subject area of the proposed effort is one of great interest to the general public. Effort will be made at broadcasting the results of this research program to a community broader than the academic research community. In this manner, this project will strive to foster interest in science and engineering within the general public and especially among underrepresented minorities.

智力优势。 这项研究的目的是开发改进的方法来控制光脉冲通过材料系统传播的速度，并开发这些技术在技术上的重要应用。 这些应用之一是具有增加的光谱灵敏度的干涉仪的发展。简单的理论论证表明，干涉仪的灵敏度可以增加一个因素一样大的材料放在干涉仪的一个臂的群指数。 在另一项研究中，将实施快速光技术，以防止高功率激光系统中发生激光损伤。 当光脉冲进入群指数为正但小于1的材料时，脉冲在空间中被拉伸，因此能量密度降低。 该效果倾向于抑制激光损伤的发生。此外，还将研究光束的相干性如何在通过具有极端群速度的材料传播时发生变化。 还将研究一种控制光速的新物理过程。这个过程涉及到强驱动二能级原子的非线性响应。在强激光场的存在下，二能级原子的吸收光谱被强烈修改，并被分成三个分量，每个分量都具有可以用来控制光速的特性。 增益和吸收功能都存在，导致慢和快的光速，调制带宽高达几GHz。 这项工作将由一个研究小组进行，该小组由来自不同种族和文化背景的学生和博士后科学家组成。鼓励他们合作，并探索他们的研究项目的知识基础。 此外，拟议努力的主题领域是广大公众非常感兴趣的领域之一。将努力向比学术研究界更广泛的社区传播本研究计划的结果。 通过这种方式，该项目将努力培养公众，特别是代表性不足的少数群体对科学和工程的兴趣。