Transit effects for non-linear index measurement in hot atomic vapors
Aladjidi, Tangui and Abuzarli, Murad and Brochier, Guillaume and Bienaimé, Tom and Picot, Thomas and Bramati, Alberto and Glorieux, Quentin

arXiv:2202.05764 , (2022)

arXiv:2202.05764 ,   (2022)

Hot atomic vapors are widely used in non-linear and quantum optics due to their large Kerr non-linearity. While the linear refractive index and the transmission are precisely measured and well modeled theoretically, similar characterization remains partial for the χ(3) non-linear part of the susceptibility. In this work, we present a set of tools to measure and estimate numerically the non-linear index of hot atomic vapors both in the steady state and during the transient response of the medium. We apply these techniques for the characterization of a hot vapor of rubidium and we evidence the critical role played by transit effects, due to finite beam sizes, in the measurement of the non-linear index.