Ultralow-light-level all-optical transistor in rubidium vapor

An all-optical transistor (AOT) is a device in which one light beam can efficiently manipulate another. It is the foundational component of an all-optical communication network. An AOT that can operate at ultralow light levels is especially attractive for its potential application in the quantum inf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2014-04, Vol.104 (15)
Main Authors: Jing, Jietai, Zhou, Zhifan, Liu, Cunjin, Qin, Zhongzhong, Fang, Yami, Zhou, Jun, Zhang, Weiping
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied physics
CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS
Flux density
Four-wave mixing
FREQUENCY MIXING
Light beams
Light levels
Optical communication
PHOTONS
QUANTUM INFORMATION
Quantum phenomena
Quantum theory
RUBIDIUM
TRANSISTORS
VAPORS
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Summary:An all-optical transistor (AOT) is a device in which one light beam can efficiently manipulate another. It is the foundational component of an all-optical communication network. An AOT that can operate at ultralow light levels is especially attractive for its potential application in the quantum information field. Here, we demonstrate an AOT driven by a weak light beam with an energy density of 2.5 × 10−5 photons/(λ2/2π) (corresponding to 6  yJ/(λ2/2π) and about 800 total photons) using the double-Λ four-wave mixing process in hot rubidium vapor. This makes it a promising candidate for ultralow-light-level optical communication and quantum information science.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.4871384