Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Measurement of Coherence Decay in GaMnAs Using Femtosecond Four-wave Mixing
Published on: December 3, 2013
Temporal and Spatial Interference between Four-Wave Mixing and Six-Wave Mixing Channels.
Yanpeng Zhang1, Utsab Khadka, Blake Anderson
1Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA and Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
We demonstrate temporal and spatial interference between four-wave mixing (FWM) and six-wave mixing (SWM) using phase control in atomic systems. This enables coexisting FWM and SWM signals for applications in quantum information processing.
Area of Science:
- Nonlinear Optics
- Quantum Coherence
- Atomic Physics
Background:
- Four-wave mixing (FWM) and six-wave mixing (SWM) are key nonlinear optical processes.
- Atomic coherence plays a crucial role in nonlinear optical phenomena.
- Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) provides a window for controlling light-matter interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate temporal and spatial interference between FWM and SWM.
- To achieve efficient and coexisting FWM and SWM signals.
- To explore applications in quantum technologies through phase control.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing phase control between FWM and SWM channels.
- Employing a four-level atomic system.
- Generating signals within the same electromagnetically induced transparency window.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated temporal and spatial interferences between FWM and SWM.
- Achieved efficient and coexisting FWM and SWM signals.
- Observed femtosecond-scale temporal interference related to optical transition frequency.
Conclusions:
- Intermixing of nonlinear optical processes can be controlled via phase delay.
- Coherent control of FWM and SWM opens avenues for advanced applications.
- Potential applications include high-precision measurements and quantum information processing.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Interference and Superposition of Waves
Interference occurs in mechanical waves, such as sound waves, waves on a string, and surface water waves. Mechanical waves correspond to the physical displacement of particles. Hence,...
Interference: Path Lengths
Two special sources may be considered when they are in phase. This can be easily achieved by feeding the two sources from the same source. An example would be synchronizing the two speakers by feeding them with the same source, such as the sound waves produced by a tuning fork. This setup ensures that the two sources have the same frequency and are...
Interference and Diffraction
Sound Waves: Interference
Propagation of Waves
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS): Interferences

