Realization of Coherent Optically Dense Media via Buffer-Gas Cooling

We demonstrate that buffer-gas cooling combined with laser ablation can be
used to create coherent optical media with high optical depth and low Doppler
broadening that offers metastable states with low collisional and motional
decoherence. Demonstration of this generic technique opens pathways to coherent
optics with a large variety of atoms and molecules. We use helium buffer gas to
cool 87Rb atoms to below 7 K and slow atom diffusion to the walls.
Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in this medium allows for 50%
transmission in a medium with initial OD >70 and for slow pulse propagation
with large delay-bandwidth products. In the high-OD regime, we observe
high-contrast spectrum oscillations due to efficient four-wave mixing.