Enhanced nonlinear magneto-optical rotation in cold atoms: A theoretical study

We theoretically investigate magneto-optical rotation (MOR) of a linearly polarized probe field in the four-level N-type cold atoms. By applying a static magnetic field and a weak coupling field, it is shown that the birefringence enhancement is induced in the system. Moreover, we show that the static magnetic field has a major role in switching the dichroism to enhanced birefringence in the system. We also obtain a large intensity for the output field with nearly perpendicular MOR angle by 88 degrees with subnatural width. It is demonstrated that Doppler broadening has a destructive effect on the MOR of the polarization direction of the probe field. The results of our study can be used for selecting narrow band of wavelengths and polarization converter for efficient switching of TM/TE polarization modes in optical communication, the depolarization backscattering lidar, polarization spectroscopy and precision measurements.