Chiral phase modulation and tunable broadband perfect absorber using the coherent cold atomic ensemble

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel approach to achieve broadband perfect absorption and chiral phase modulation in cold atomic ensembles using Kramers-Kronig modulation, enabling new optical device functionalities.

Contribution

It introduces a method for broadband coherent perfect absorption and chiral phase modulation in atomic media, expanding the capabilities of quantum optical devices.

Findings

Demonstrated two-channel broadband CPA with sharp edges

Observed direction-dependent chiral phase modulation

Proposed low-power all-optical device applications

Abstract

We investigate the two-channel nonreciprocal scattering of a coherent atomic ensemble under the linear spatial Kramers-Kronig modulation, which has potential applications in chiral phase modulation and broadband coherent perfect/asymmetric absorber that yet is typically unavailable in conventional continuous atomic media. In the regime of electromagnetically induced transparency, we observe the direction-dependent (chiral) phase modulation, which may enrich the burgeoning chiral quantum optics and can be used for implementing photonic filters, unidirectional amplifiers, and coherent asymmetric absorbers. By simplifying the stringent generation condition of coherent perfect absorption (CPA), we demonstrate the possibility of realizing two-channel CPA with broadband and sharp edges. Our proposal may be used to design and integrate some all-optical functional devices at extremely low power levels for quantum information processing and optical communication networks.