Time- and frequency-domain polariton interference

TL;DR

This paper reports experimental observations of interference effects in a lambda-type gradient echo memory, demonstrating high-visibility interference between atomic spin coherence and optical fields mediated by Raman transitions.

Contribution

It introduces new experimental insights into interference phenomena in quantum memories using atomic spin coherence and optical fields, with potential applications in quantum information processing.

Findings

Interference observed between atomic spin coherence and optical fields.

High-visibility interference achievable in lambda-type gradient echo memory.

Experimental demonstration of interference between multiple lambda transitions.

Abstract

We present experimental observations of interference between an atomic spin coherence and an optical field in a {\Lambda}-type gradient echo memory. The interference is mediated by a strong classical field that couples a weak probe field to the atomic coherence through a resonant Raman transition. Interference can be observed between a prepared spin coherence and another propagating optical field, or between multiple {\Lambda} transitions driving a single spin coherence. In principle, the interference in each scheme can yield a near unity visibility.