Controlling pulse delay by light and low magnetic fields: slow light in emerald induced by transient spectral...

Slow light based on transient spectral hole-burning is reported for emerald, Be(3)Al(2)Si(6)O(18):Cr(3+). Experiments were conducted in π polarization on the R(1)(± 3/2) line (E2 ← A(2)4) at 2.2 K in zero field and low magnetic fields B||c. The hole width was strongly dependent on B||c, and this allowed us to smoothly tune the pulse delay from 40 to 154 ns between zero field and B||c = 15.2 mT. The latter corresponds to a group velocity of 16 km/s. Slow light in conjunction with a linear filter theory can be used as a powerful and accurate technique in time-resolved spectroscopy, e.g., to determine spectral hole-widths as a function of time.