PROGRESS TOWARD A NEGATIVE REFRACTIVE INDEX IN AN ATOMIC SYSTEM: SPECTROSCOPY AND SIMULATIONS OF A RARE-EARTH DOPED CRYSTAL by

Progress toward a negative refractive index in an atomic system: spectroscopy and simulations of rare-earth doped crystal Eu:YSO Zachary J Simmons Under the supervision of Professor Deniz D. Yavuz At the University of Wisconsin Madison A material with a negative index of refraction would have interesting properties including: light refracting the ‘wrong’ way, ~ E, ~ B, and ~k forming a left-handed triad, and the prospect of lenses that could harness evanescent waves and beat the diffraction limit. Although there has been progress toward this in artificial materials, we seek an optical negative index in an atomic system. A necessary ingredient of an atomic negative index is a strong magnetic response. This work describes our project to investigate an optical magnetic dipole transition in a rare-earth doped crystal. The document discusses relevant background material including the atomic structure of Eu:YSO and crystal-related issues, as well as construction of the experimental apparatus. The response of the F0 → D1 transition in Eu:YSO is relatively strong and a great system for exploring optical magnetic dipole physics. Initial results from optical pumping experiments are described as well as simulation results for coherent effects including Rabi flopping and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). There is also discussion of current experimental issues and prospects. This system may be one of the most promising atomic systems in which to pursue experimental realization of left-handed wave phenomena.