Optical switch based on dressed intracavity dark states

Abstract: We present a scheme to realize two-direction optical switch by a single-mode optical cavity containing some four-level atoms. The high switching efficiency can be obtained through low photon loss and large third-order nonlinear susceptibility of this N-type atomic system in cavity. Without the microwave source, it can be reduced to an atomic system where a coupling laser is used to realize single electromagnetically induced transparency. Namely, the probe field can be transmitted almost totally at resonance. Thus a two-direction optical switch is operated and the state for forward (backward) direction is set as open (closed). When microwave source is introduced, dressed splitting of dark state happens. The probe field is reflected almost completely at resonance and the state of the optical switch at forward and backward directions (transmitted and reflected channels) is shifted as closed and open, respectively. Moreover, this scheme is much advantageous to realize splitting of dark state because weak microwave field induces the coupling between dark state and one sub-level of ground state. While a strong pump laser which couples dark state with an excited level is applied to realize this splitting in Ref. [Phys. Rev. A 85 013814 (2012)].