Simulating coherent interaction of polarized laser light with multi-level atoms in one-dimensional birefringent media of high optical depth

We present a numerical approach to simulate the propagation of polarized light through a one-dimensional, optically dense, and strongly birefringent medium. The medium is modeled as a gas of atoms with a complex energy-level structure, exemplified by rubidium-87, confined within a birefringent, nonresonant waveguide such as a hollow fiber. The model is formulated within the rotating wave, slowly varying envelope, and Weisskopf–Wigner approximations and is optimized for computational efficiency through the extensive use of tensor operations. As applications, we reproduce key features of two previously reported experiments: biphoton generation via spontaneous four-wave mixing and Raman superfluorescence in an inhomogeneous medium. We further investigate the influence of Zeeman degeneracy and fiber birefringence on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and show that these effects can significantly distort the extracted values of the ground-state dephasing rate.