Dynamical Observations of Self-Stabilising Stationary Light

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a self-stabilising stationary light phenomenon in cold Rb87 atoms, where the system naturally evolves to a stable, emission-free state with persistent optical excitation, advancing quantum memory control.

Contribution

It introduces and experimentally verifies a self-stabilising stationary light mechanism, enhancing control over atom-light interactions for quantum information applications.

Findings

System evolves to a stable, emission-free state from any initial condition.

Experimental verification aligns with theoretical predictions.

Potential improvements in quantum memory stability and efficiency.

Abstract

Precise control of atom-light interactions is vital to many quantum information protocols. In particular, atomic systems can be used to slow and store light to form a quantum memory. Optical storage can be achieved via stopped light, where no optical energy remains in the atoms, or as stationary light, where some optical energy remains resent during storage. In this work, we demonstrate a form of self-stabilising stationary light. From any initial state, our atom-light system evolves to a stable configuration that is devoid of coherent emission from the atoms, yet may contain bright optical excitation. This phenomenon is verified experimentally in a cloud of cold Rb87 atoms. The spinwave in our atomic cloud is imaged from the side allowing direct comparison with theoretical predictions.