Cooperative Emission of a Coherent Superflash of Light

We investigate the transient coherent transmission of light through an optically thick cold strontium gas. We observe a coherent superflash just after an abrupt probe extinction, with peak intensity more than three times the incident one. We show that this coherent superflash is a direct signature o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2014-11, Vol.113 (22), p.223601-223601, Article 223601
Main Authors: Kwong, C C, Yang, T, Pramod, M S, Pandey, K, Delande, D, Pierrat, R, Wilkowski, D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic Physics
Coherence
Emission
Extinction
Optics
Physics
Pictures
Signatures
Strontium
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Summary:We investigate the transient coherent transmission of light through an optically thick cold strontium gas. We observe a coherent superflash just after an abrupt probe extinction, with peak intensity more than three times the incident one. We show that this coherent superflash is a direct signature of the cooperative forward emission of the atoms. By engineering fast transient phenomena on the incident field, we give a clear and simple picture of the physical mechanisms at play.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.223601