Abstract
An optical field with orbital angular momentum (OAM) has many remarkable properties due to its unique azimuthal phase, showing many potential applications in high-capacity information processing such as terabit free-space data transmission, and high-precision measurement such as high sensitivity of angular resolution. The dephasing mechanisms of optical fields in an interface between light and matter play a vital role in OAM storage. In this work, we study the transverse azimuthal dephasing of an OAM spin wave in a hot atomic gas via OAM storage. We find that the transverse azimuthal phase difference between the control and probe beams is mapped onto the spin wave, and the atomic motion during the storage results in dephasing of the atomic spin wave with transverse azimuthal phase. The dephasing of the OAM spin wave is related to the OAM's topological charge and the beam waist. Our results are helpful for studying OAM light interaction with matter.
- Received 12 August 2016
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.95.033823
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