Manipulation of optical-pulse-imprinted memory in a $\Lambda$ system

TL;DR

This paper analyzes coherent optical memory manipulation in a $b1$-type medium using analytical solutions and numerical simulations, exploring pulse dynamics and effects of decoherence for potential experimental applications.

Contribution

It reviews and tests an analytical soliton-pulse solution for optical memory manipulation in a $b1$-system, including effects of broadening and decoherence.

Findings

Numerical simulations largely confirm analytical pulse dynamics trends.

Decoherence causes deviations but preserves overall pulse interaction patterns.

Results provide guidance for future experimental implementations.

Abstract

We examine coherent memory manipulation in a $\Lambda$-type medium, using the second order solution presented by Groves, Clader and Eberly [J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 46, 224005 (2013)] as a guide. The analytical solution obtained using the Darboux transformation and a nonlinear superposition principle describes complicated soliton-pulse dynamics which, by an appropriate choice of parameters, can be simplified to a well-defined sequence of pulses interacting with the medium. In this report, this solution is reviewed and put to test by means of a series of numerical simulations, encompassing all the parameter space and adding the effects of homogeneous broadening due to spontaneous emission. We find that even though the decohered results deviate from the analytical prediction they do follow a similar trend that could be used as a guide for future experiments.