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Welcome to Quantum Optics group at the College of William and Mary!
In the beginning of XX century the need for understanding
the interaction of light and atoms gave rise to the development of
Quantum Mechanics. In the beginning of XXI century we use our understanding of quantum mechanical properties of light
and atoms to push the technology beyond the limits set by the classical physics!
By means of various multi-photon interactions we can control the quantum state of Rb atoms, dramatically
changing their optical properties. For example, it may be possible to suppress resonant absorption and make transparent
a normally opaque medium by means of
Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT). Or one can create an absorption resonance with desired properties
via Raman absorption. Or it maybe possible to generate new optical fields with interesting non-classical properties
by means of near-resonant four-wave mixing. These nonlinear processes also give us control over how fast optical pulses propagate inside
the atomic medium, giving us ability to slow them down to a speed of a car, trap it inside the atomic vapor, or to make them appear to move faster than
a speed of light or even with the negative speed. In collaboration with R. A. Lukaszew we are working on extending applications of the control methods developed for atomic phycics to studies of light propagation in metallic nanostructure supporting localized surface plasmons. In particular, we are investigating the nucleation and evolution of the metal-insulator phase transition in vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films and multi-layered structures using ultrafast laser spectroscopy and Raman scattering. |
