Producing slow light in warm alkali vapor using electromagnetically induced transparency

TL;DR

This paper provides accessible instructions for producing slow light in warm Rubidium vapor using electromagnetically induced transparency, highlighting its importance for quantum memory development.

Contribution

It offers practical, undergraduate-friendly guidance on creating slow light via EIT in warm vapor, emphasizing experimental setup and conditions.

Findings

Light pulses slowed to less than 400 m/s

Detailed experimental procedures provided

Highlights relevance for quantum memory applications

Abstract

We present undergraduate-friendly instructions on how to produce light pulses propagating through warm Rubidium vapor with speeds less than 400 m/s, i.e., nearly a million times slower than c. We elucidate the role played by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in producing slow light pulses, and discuss how to achieve the required experimental conditions. The optical set up is presented, and details provided for preparation of pump, probe, and reference pulses of the required size, frequency, intensity, temporal width, and polarization purity. EIT-based slow light pulses provide the most widely studied architecture for creating quantum memories. Therefore, the basic concepts presented here are useful for physics and engineering majors who wish to get involved in the development of cutting-edge quantum technologies.