Quantum and noninear optics of a cold-atom ring laser with controlled dispersion

我们正在建造一个环形激光器，使用冷原子气体作为增益介质，通过控制量子相干来调节群指数。在慢光传播的情况下，这种激光器对环境扰动的敏感性降低，这使得它对主动时间/频率标准具有吸引力。在所谓的超光速状态下，激光波长通过Sagnac效应对旋转非常敏感，这使得它有望用于下一代陀螺导航系统。然而，这种激光器的噪声特性还没有被很好地理解，只进行了初步的测量。我们将帮助填补我们对快光和慢光介质中激光的理解空白，并为基于其应用的未来技术奠定基础。

We are building a ring laser using a gas of cold atoms as a gain medium, tuning the group index through controlled quantum coherences. In the regime of slow light propagation, such a laser shows reduced sensitivity to environmental perturbations, making it attractive for active time/frequency standards. In the so-called superluminal regime, the lasing wavelength is hypersensitive to rotations via the Sagnac effect, making it promising for next generation gyro navigation systems. However the noise properties of such lasers are not well understood and only preliminary measurements have been made. We will help fill gaps in our understanding of lasing in fast and slow light media, and lay the foundation for future technologies based on their application.