Optical storage of Ince-Gaussian modes in warm atomic vapor.

Abstract

We report on the optical storage of Ince-Gaussian modes in a warm rubidium vapor cell based on electromagnetically induced transparency protocol, and we also qualitatively analyze how atomic diffusion affects the retrieved beams after storage. Ince-Gaussian modes possess very complex and abundant spatial structures and form a complete infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. Successfully storing such modes could open up possibilities for fundamental high-dimensional optical communication experiments.