Space-time analogy and its application to design schemes borrowed from Fourier optics for processing ultrafast optical signals

Square-wave pulse generation with a variable duty ratio can be realized with the help of ideas of Talbot array illuminators formulated for binary phase gratings. A binary temporal phase modulation of CW laser field propagating through a group-delay-dispersion circuit of the fractional Talbot length $P/Q$ results in a well defined sequence of square-wave-form pulses. When $P=1$ a duty ratio of the pulses $D$ is $1/2$ for $Q=4$ and $1/3$ for $Q=3$ and 6. Maximum intensity of the pulses doubles and triples compared to the CW intensity for $D=1/2$ and $1/3$, respectively. These pulses can be used for return-to-zero laser field modulation in optical fiber communication. For $D=1/3$ extra features between the pulses are found originating from a finite rise and drop time of phase in a binary phase modulation. Similar effect as a benefit of the time-space analogy is predicted for binary phase gratings and interpreted as gleams produced by imperfect edges of the components of the rectangular phase gratings

Increasing efficiency of quantum memory based on atomic frequency combs

A protocol, which essentially increases the efficiency of the quantum memory based on the atomic frequency comb (AFC), is proposed. It is well known that a weak short pulse, transmitted trough a medium with a periodic structure of absorption peaks separated by transparency windows (AFC), is transformed into prompt and delayed pulses. Time delay is equal to the inverse value of the frequency period of the peaks. It is proposed to send the prompt pulse again through the medium and to make both delayed pulses to interfere. This leads to the essential increase of the efficiency of the AFC storage protocol.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

Transformation of subradiant states to superradiant states in a thick resonant medium

The propagation of a step pulse through a thick resonant absorber with a homogeneously broadened absorption line is considered. It is shown that a specific subradiant state is naturally developed in the absorber due to the formation of the spatial domains of the atomic coherence with opposite phases. It is proposed to divide the absorber into slices in accordance with these domains and place the phase shifters in front of the first slice and between the other slices. If the phase shifters are switched on simultaneously at a particular moment of time, elapsed from the beginning of the step pulse, a strong sharp pulse is generated at the output of the last slice of the absorber. The effect is explained by the phasing of the atomic coherence along all slices of the absorber, which transforms the subradiant state of the atom-field system to a superradiant state. © 2014 American Physical Society

Transformation of the frequency-modulated continuous-wave field into a train of short pulses by resonant filters

© 2017 American Physical Society.The resonant filtering method transforming the frequency-modulated radiation field into a train of short pulses is proposed to be applied in the optical domain. Effective frequency modulation can be achieved by using an electro-optic modulator. Due to frequency modulation, a narrow-spectrum cw radiation field is seen by the resonant filter as a comb of equidistant spectral components separated by the modulation frequency. Tuning a narrow-bandwidth filter in resonance with the nth spectral component of the comb transforms the radiation field into bunches of pulses, with n pulses in each bunch. The transformation is explained by the interference of the coherently scattered resonant component of the field with the whole comb. Constructive interference results in the formation of pulses, while destructive interference is seen as dark windows between pulses. It is indicated that the optimal thickness of the resonant filter is several orders of magnitude smaller than the necessary thickness of the dispersive filters used before in the optical domain to produce short pulses from the frequency-modulated field