Coherent Optical Field Manipulation and Optical Information Processing Based on Electromagnetically-Induced Transparency Effect in Pr3+:Y2SiO5 Crystal

We reviewed the recent progress in coherent manipulation on light fields based on the electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) effect in Pr3+-doped Y2SiO5 crystal. The results show that, on one hand, the atomic coherence grating, formed when the light pulse is stored in Pr3+:Y2SiO5 crystal under the EIT condition has similar properties to the traditional holographic grating. On the other hand, the atomic coherence grating has its own unique characteristics that are different from those of traditional holographic grating. The EIT-induced nonlinearity and atomic coherence gratings can be used to manipulate the amplitude, the phase and the polarization state of light fields; therefore, they are of important applications for optical signal processing, quantum information processing and imaging processing.