All-optical generation of structured light beams via microwave-field-controlled electromagnetically induced transparency

We investigate theoretically a scheme for all-optical generation of structured light beams with and without a microwave field in an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) medium composed of rubidium atoms. In a conventional EIT system, two optical fields (namely, a strong control field and a weak probe field) drive two electric-dipole-allowed transitions of an atom to form a three-level system in a Λ configuration. At EIT resonance, we found that a Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) control beam induces a radial modulation of probe's absorption profile in such way that a Gaussian probe beam is reshaped into a hollow-Gaussian beam following the position-selective absorption. The transmitted probe beam has a doughnut-shaped intensity structure similar to that LG beam whereas the phase profile is still a spherical wave. Moreover, the presence of a microwave field between two ground states of three-level system leads to a closed-loop system, and probe response is modified with an additional term proportional to the amplitudes of Rabi frequencies of control and microwave fields, and relative phase of three fields. This term acts as driving field which is responsible for the generation of a vortex probe beam having a helical phase profile. We have further shown that the amplitude and helical phase of generated vortex beam can be manipulated by changing the relative phase of applied fields and temperature of the vapor cell. The present study may provide a useful tool for creation of structured light beams with and without orbital angular momentum.