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Slow and fast light: basic concepts and recent advancements based on nonlinear wave‐mixing processes
Author(s) -
Bortolozzo U.,
Residori S.,
Huignard J.P. Pierre
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
laser and photonics reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.778
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1863-8899
pISSN - 1863-8880
DOI - 10.1002/lpor.200910022
Subject(s) - mixing (physics) , nonlinear system , optics , interferometry , focus (optics) , physics , sensitivity (control systems) , nonlinear optics , four wave mixing , slow light , quantum mechanics , electronic engineering , engineering , photonic crystal
Abstract After a review of the basic concepts of slow and fast light, recent advancements based on nonlinear wave‐mixing processes are described. As a nonlinear medium, the authors focus on a liquid crystal light valve showing that it allows obtaining a large control of the group delay, with a maximum fractional delay of 1, and a deceleration of light pulses down to group velocities as small as 0.2 mm/s. A theoretical model accompanies the observations and accounts for them in the general framework of two‐wave mixing in the light valve. At the end, a high‐sensitivity interferometer is presented as an example of slow light applications.