Light trapping in high-density ultracold atomic gases for quantum memory applications

High-density and ultracold atomic gases have emerged as promising media for storage of individual photons for quantum memory applications. In this paper we provide an overview of our theoretical and experimental efforts in this direction, with particular attention paid to manipulation of light storage (a) through complex recurrent optical scattering processes in very high density gases (b) by an external control field in a characteristic electromagnetically induced transparency configuration.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Modern Optics, Special 2010 PQE Issu

AdS/CFT correspondence via R-current correlation functions revisited

Motivated by realizing open/closed string duality in the work by Gopakumar [Phys. Rev. D70:025009,2004], we study two and three-point correlation functions of R-current vector fields in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. These correlation functions in free field limit can be derived from the worldline formalism and written as heat kernel integrals in the position space. We show that reparametrizing these integrals converts them to the expected AdS supergravity results which are known in terms of bulk to boundary propagator. We expect that this reparametrization corresponds to transforming open string moduli parameterization to the closed string ones.Comment: 23 pages, v2: calculations clarified, references added, v3: sections re-arranged with more explanations, 4 figures and an appendix adde

Polarization of high-energy electrons traversing a laser beam

When polarized electrons traverse a region where the laser light is focused their polarization varies even if their energy and direction of motion are not changed. This effect is due to interference of the incoming electron wave and an electron wave scattered at zero angle. Equations are obtained which determine the variation of the electron density matrix, and their solutions are given. The change in the electron polarization depends not only on the Compton cross section but on the real part of the forward Compton amplitude as well. It should be taken into account, for example, in simulations of the $e \to \gamma$ conversion for future $\gamma \gamma$ colliders.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX , 2 postscript figures include

Gauge Dependence of Four-Fermion QED Green Function and a Breakdown of Gauge Invariance in Atom-Like Bound State Calculations

We derive a relation between four-fermion QED Green functions of different covariant gauges which defines the gauge dependence completely. We use the derived gauge dependence to check the gauge invariance of atom-like bound state calculations. We find that the existing QED procedure does not provide gauge invariant binding energies. A way to a corrected gauge invariant procedure is pointed out.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex, no figures, to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Variation in polarization of high-energy γ\gamma-quanta traversing a bunch of polarized laser photons

The elastic light-light scattering below the threshold of the $e^+e^-$ pair production leads to a variation in polarization of hard $\gamma$-quanta traversing without loss a region where the laser light is focused. Equations are obtained which determine the variation of Stokes parameters of $\gamma$-quanta in this case, and their solutions are given. It is pointed out that this effect can be observed in the experiment E-144 at SLAC. It should be taken into account (and, perhaps, it can be used) in experiments at future $\gamma \gamma$ colliders.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, 2 PS figure

Photon Splitting in a Very Strong Magnetic Field

Photon splitting in a very strong magnetic field is analyzed for energy $\omega < 2m$. The amplitude obtained on the base of operator-diagram technique is used. It is shown that in a magnetic field much higher than critical one the splitting amplitude is independent on the field. Our calculation is in a good agreement with previous results of Adler and in a strong contradiction with recent paper of Mentzel et al.Comment: 5 pages,Revtex , 4 figure

Hard Constituent Quarks and Electroweak Properties of Pseudoscalar Mesons

The high momentum components generated in the wave function of pseudoscalar mes* by the one-gluon-exchange interaction are investigated within a relativistic constituent quark model. Adopting the light-cone formalism, the sensitivity of the weak decay constant and the charge form factor to hard constituent quarks is illustrated.Comment: 11 pages and 5 figs. (to be requested), LaTeX, INFN-ISS 94/3. To appear in Physics Lett.

Relativistic semiclassical approach in strong-field nonlinear photoionization

Nonlinear relativistic ionization phenomena induced by a strong laser radiation with elliptically polarization are considered. The starting point is the classical relativistic action for a free electron moving in the electromagnetic field created by a strong laser beam. The application of the relativistic action to the classical barrier-suppression ionization is briefly discussed. Further the relativistic version of the Landau-Dykhne formula is employed to consider the semiclassical sub-barrier ionization. Simple analytical expressions have been found for: (i) the rates of the strong-field nonlinear ionization including relativistic initial and final state effects; (ii) the most probable value of the components of the photoelectron final state momentum; (iii) the most probable direction of photoelectron emission and (iv) the distribution of the photoelectron momentum near its maximum value.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Light scattering and localization in an ultracold and dense atomic system

The quantum optical response of high density ultracold atomic systems is critical to a wide range of fundamentally and technically important physical processes. These include quantum image storage, optically based quantum repeaters and ultracold molecule formation. We present here a microscopic analysis of the light scattering on such a system, and we compare it with a corresponding description based on macroscopic Maxwell theory. Results are discussed in the context of the spectral resonance structure, time-dependent response, and the light localization problem

Quantum hologram of macroscopically entangled light via the mechanism of diffuse light storage

In the present paper we consider a quantum memory scheme for light diffusely propagating through a spatially disordered atomic gas. The diffuse trapping of the signal light pulse can be naturally integrated with the mechanism of stimulated Raman conversion into a long-lived spin coherence. Then the quantum state of the light can be mapped onto the disordered atomic spin subsystem and can be stored in it for a relatively long time. The proposed memory scheme can be applicable for storage of the macroscopic analog of the $\Psi^{(-)}$ Bell state and the prepared entangled atomic state performs its quantum hologram, which suggests the possibility of further quantum information processing.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. Special Issue on Quantum Memorie