Niu Yue-Ping

Negative Refractive Index in a Four-Level Atomic System

We propose a scheme for realizing negative refractive index in a four-level atomic system. It is shown that such a system can simultaneously exhibit negative permittivity and negative permeability in an optical frequency range. Furthermore, by analysing the dispersion property of the left-handed material, we find that the probe beam can be controlled from superluminal to subluminal or vice versa via choosing appropriate parameters.

Extraordinary optical transmission through metal gratings with single and double grooved surfaces

We investigate the transmission properties of a normally incident TM plane wave through metal films with periodic parabolic-shaped grooves on single and double surfaces using the finite-difference-time-domain method. Nearly zero transmission efficiency is found at wavelengths corresponding to surface plasmon excitation on a flat surface in the case where the single surface is grooved. Meanwhile, resonant excitation of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) Bloch modes leads to a strong transmission peak at slightly larger wavelengths. When the grating is grooved on double surfaces, the transmission enhancement can be dramatically improved due to the resonant tunnelling between SPP Bloch modes.

Trichromatic Manipulation of Kerr Nonlinearity in a Three-Level A Atomic System

Trichromatic manipulation of Kerr nonlinearity in a three-level A atomic configuration is investigated theoretically. It is shown that for a weak monochromatic probe Held, the enhanced Kerr nonlinearity can be achieved in multiple separate transparent windows due to interference effect of multiple two-photon Raman channels. Furthermore, the property of Kerr nonlinearity can be controlled by the sum of the relative phases of the sideband components of the trichromatic pump Geld compared to the central component.

Enhancement of Kerr nonlinearity and its application to entangled state discrimination

In this paper, the recent research on the enhanced Kerr nonlinearity and its application in entangled state discrimination is reported. Two kinds of dynamics, including interacting double dark resonances and spontaneously generated coherence, are presented to enhance the Kerr nonlinearity. The application of Kerr nonlinearity in quantum state discrimination is also discussed. An arbitrary Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state can be discriminated using two-photon polarization parity detection which resorts to cross-Kerr nonlinearity between a single-photon qubit and probe field. In addition, a scheme for Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state discrimination of matter qubits is also proposed using the dipole induced transparency in a cavity-dipole system.

Controllable Kerr Nonlinearity with Perfect Transparency in the Existence of Spontaneously Generated Coherence

We investigate the Kerr nonlinearity of a V-type three-level atomic system where the upper two states decay outside to another state and hence spontaneous generated coherence may exist. It is shown that dark state and hence perfect transparency present under certain conditions. Meanwhile, the Kerr nonlinearity can be controlled by manipulation of the decay rates and the splitting of the two excited states. Therefore, enhanced Kerr nonlinearity without absorption can be obtained under proper parameters.

Sideband manipulation of population inversion in a three-level Λ atomic system

Sideband manipulation of population inversion in a three-level A atomic configuration is investigated theoretically. Compared with the case of a nearly monochromatic field, a population inversion between an excited state and a ground state has been found in a wide sideband intensity range by increasing the difference in frequency between three components. Furthermore, the population inversion can be controlled by the sum of the relative phases of the sideband components of the trichromatic pump field with respective to the phase of the central component. Changing the sum phase from 0 to π, the population inversion between the excited state and the ground state can increase within nearly half of the sideband intensity range. At the same time, the sideband intensity range that corresponds to the system exhibiting inversion ρ00 > ρ11 also becomes wider evidently.

Accurate determination of the absolute phase and temporal-pulse phase of few-cycle laser pulses

A Fourier analysis method is used to accurately determine not only the absolute phase but also the temporal-pulse phase of an isolated few-cycle (chirped) laser pulse. This method is independent of the pulse shape and can fully characterize the light wave even though only a few samples per optical cycle are available. It paves the way for investigating the absolute phase-dependent extreme nonlinear optics, and the evolutions of the absolute phase and the temporal-pulse phase of few-cycle laser pulses.