Demonstration of images with negative group velocities

TL;DR

This paper experimentally demonstrates superluminal propagation of multi-spatial-mode images using four-wave mixing in hot atomic vapor, achieving large pulse advancements and exploring implications for temporal cloaking and quantum correlations.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental demonstration of negative group velocities for images with detailed analysis of spatial and temporal properties.

Findings

Achieved negative group velocities up to -c/880 and -c/2180.

Observed large pulse peak advancements up to 64% of input pulse width.

Quantified the increase in temporal reshaping with pulse advancement.

Abstract

We report the experimental demonstration of the superluminal propagation of multi-spatial-mode images via four-wave mixing in hot atomic vapor, in which all spatial sub-regions propagate with negative group velocities. We investigate the spatial mode properties and temporal reshaping of the fast light images, and show large relative pulse peak advancements of up to 64% of the input pulse width. The degree of temporal reshaping is quantified and increases as the relative pulse peak advancement increases. When optimized for image quality or pulse advancement, negative group velocities of up to $v_{g}=-\frac{c}{880}$ and $v_{g}=-\frac{c}{2180}$, respectively, are demonstrated when integrating temporally over the entire image. The present results are applicable to temporal cloaking devices that require strong manipulation of the dispersion relation, where one can envision temporally cloaking various spatial regions of an image for different durations. Additionally, the modes involved in a four-wave mixing process similar to the present experiment have been shown to exhibit quantum correlations and entanglement. The results presented here provide insight into how to tailor experimental tests of the behavior of these quantum correlations and entanglement in the superluminal regime.