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EIT Computational Study: Slow Light and Quantum Memory in ⁸⁷Rb

Undergraduate research project at the University of Connecticut

Project Overview

Undergraduate computational study of Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) in ⁸⁷Rb atomic vapor. The project reproduces and explores the slow-light and quantum memory phenomena described in the EIT literature (Fleischhauer, Imamoglu, Marangos 2005; Phillips et al. 2001; Novikova et al. 2012), implemented as numerical simulations of the three-level master equation model.

All quantitative values reported on this page are reproductions of, or numerical comparisons against, results published in the cited references. They are not original experimental measurements.

Scope of the Study

  • Three-level master equation modeling in a ⁸⁷Rb-style level scheme
  • EIT transmission spectrum reproduction
  • Slow-light and group-delay regimes
  • Storage and retrieval dynamics under the standard EIT memory protocol
  • Parameter sweeps and comparison against literature values

Technical Approach

Theoretical Framework

Master equation treatment of a three-level atomic system with coherent control and probe fields, following the standard EIT formulation in Fleischhauer, Imamoglu, and Marangos (2005).

View Theory & Equations

Numerical Simulations

Parameter sweeps and visualization of EIT transmission spectra, slow-light group delay, and storage / retrieval dynamics.

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Comparison with Literature

Numerical results compared against the published EIT and slow-light literature for the standard ⁸⁷Rb-style level scheme.

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Reference Values from the Literature

The following parameter ranges were used as reference points for the numerical study. They are characteristic of the published EIT-memory literature in ⁸⁷Rb-style systems and are reproduced here for comparison context, not as original measurements.

EIT Spectroscopy Regime

  • Peak two-photon-resonance transmission characteristic of high-OD warm-vapor EIT
  • EIT linewidth in the MHz range at typical control-field Rabi frequencies
  • Group delays in the microsecond range at large optical depth

Storage and Retrieval Regime

  • Storage efficiencies and coherence times reported in the cited references
  • Time-bandwidth products of order ~100 in the warm-vapor EIT memory regime
  • Coherence-time limits driven by ground-state decoherence and atomic motion

Interactive Preview

Key Visualizations

Energy Level Diagram

Λ-Type Three-Level System

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EIT Spectrum

EIT Transmission Spectrum

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Efficiency Landscape

Storage Efficiency Optimization

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Storage Dynamics

Storage and Retrieval Dynamics

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Technical Documentation

Comprehensive Project Report Implementation & Results EIT in Atomic Vapor Reference

Works Cited

  1. Fleischhauer, M., Imamoglu, A., Marangos, J.P. "Electromagnetically induced transparency: Optics in coherent media." Reviews of Modern Physics, vol. 77, no. 2, 2005.
  2. Phillips, D.F., Fleischhauer, A., Mair, A., Walsworth, R.L., Lukin, M.D. "Storage of light in atomic vapor." Physical Review Letters, vol. 86, no. 5, 2001.
  3. Novikova, I., Walsworth, R.L., Xiao, Y. "Electromagnetically induced transparency-based slow and stored light in warm atoms." Laser & Photonics Reviews, vol. 6, no. 3, 2012.