Polarization rotation of slow light with orbital angular momentum in ultracold atomic gases

Julius Ruseckas, Gediminas Juzeliunas, Patrik Ohberg, Stephen M. Barnett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

50 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We consider the propagation of slow light with an orbital angular momentum (OAM) in a moving atomic medium. We have derived a general equation of motion and applied it in analyzing propagation of slow light with an OAM in a rotating medium, such as a vortex lattice. We have shown that the OAM of slow light manifests itself in a rotation of the polarization plane of linearly polarized light. To extract a pure rotational phase shift, we suggest to measure a difference in the angle of the polarization plane rotation by two consecutive light beams with opposite OAM. The differential angle ? al is proportional to the rotation frequency of the medium ?rot and the winding number l of light, and is inversely proportional to the group velocity of light. For slow light the angle ? al should be large enough to be detectable. The effect can be used as a tool for measuring the rotation frequency ?rot of the medium. © 2007 The American Physical Society.

Original languageEnglish
Article number053822
JournalPhysical Review A
Volume76
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Nov 2007

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Polarization rotation of slow light with orbital angular momentum in ultracold atomic gases'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this