Pump-probe studies of resonantly saturated selective reflection from high-density rubidium vapor

Abstract: Nonlinear selective reflection from the interface YAG window-high density rubidium vapor in the high-temperature cell is studied at the transition 5S${1/2}$-5P${3/2}$. In the experiment tunable pump and probe lasers are used. The selective reflection spectra for the laser probe beam are investigated at four different rubidium atomic densities and five different pump beam intensities. The estimated dipole-dipole interaction-induced line broadening varies from $13.2$ to $39.6$ GHz, the measured pumped intensities change from $1.2$ to $8.8$ kW$\cdot$cm$^{-2}$. Growth of the pump intensity causes reduction of the magnitude and the width of the recorded selective reflection resonance. We suggest developing all-optical modulators on the basis of nonlinear selective reflection.