Tunable fast and slow light in a hybrid optomechanical system

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates tunable fast and slow light effects in a hybrid optomechanical system, showing how atomic coupling and detuning adjustments can control light propagation speeds, with results feasible in current experimental setups.

Contribution

It introduces a method to enhance and tune fast and slow light effects in a hybrid system using atomic coupling and detuning control.

Findings

Fast light effect is enhanced by atom-field coupling.

A tunable switch between fast and slow light is achieved.

Effects are realizable with current experimental technology.

Abstract

We explain the probe field transmission spectrum under the influence of a strong pump field in a hybrid optomechanical system, composed of an optical cavity, a mechanical resonator, and a two-level atom. We show fast (superluminal) and slow (subluminal) light effects of the transmitted probe field in the hybrid system for suitable parametric regimes. For the experimental accessible domain, we find that the fast light effect obtained for the single optomechanical coupling can further be enhanced with the additional atom-field coupling in the hybrid system. Furthermore, we report the existence of a tunable switch from fast to slow light by adjusting the atomic detuning with the anti-Stokes and Stokes sidebands, respectively, as $\Delta_a=+\omega_m$ and $-\omega_m$. The reported characteristics are realizable in state-of-the-art laboratory experiments.