Modulating optical vortices in an Airy beam by the electromagnetically induced transparency

Abstract

We have introduced vortex fields in an Airy beam using interference between the lobes of the Airy beam, which is different from the previous method to generate optical vortices in an Airy beam. Compared to the interference of Gaussian beams, the vortex introduced by the interference between the Airy lobes is more robust due to the nondiffraction property of an Airy beam. The formation and disappearance of the vortex fields can be modulated by the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect and the probe field power. Specifically, no optical vortices are formed because interference between the lobes of an Airy beam cannot occur if there is a weak probe field. The EIT effect can control the generation and disappearance of the vortex field when the probe field power is critical. In the meantime, the vortex field changes the energy distribution in an Airy beam because of constructive and destructive interference in the main lobe and the side lobes. In particular, the EIT effect also can be used to regulate the position of the vortex phase singularity. We achieved Airy vortex beam regulation using multiparameters, which we believe can play a significant role in complex optical micromanipulation.