Electromagnetically induced photonic bandgap in hot Cs atoms

Three-level Lambda-type thermal Cs atoms are used to demonstrate the phenomenon of a photonic bandgap induced by quantum coherence with a standing wave (SW). We observed the transmitted signals of probe field driven by several kinds of SW, which are formed by a strong forward-traveling field and a backward-traveling field when a mirror reflects the forward-traveling beam. Considering Doppler inhomogeneous broadenings with a SW drive, we employ Fourier transformation to solve density-matrix equations for simulation results. The simulation results are found to be consistent with the experimental results. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America