Jon D. Swaim, Ryan T. Glasser (Submitted on 4 Apr 2018)
We experimentally investigate the propagation of optical pulses through a fast-light medium with competing absorption and gain. The combination of strong absorption and optical amplification in a potassium-based four-wave mixing process results in pulse peak advancements up to 88% of the input pulse width, more than 35× that which is achievable without competing absorption. We show that the enhancement occurs even when the total gain of the four-wave mixer is unity, thereby rendering the medium transparent. By varying the pulse width, we observe a transition between fast and slow light, and show that fast light is optimized for large pulse widths.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.