Phase control of electromagnetically induced transparency in a double-Λ system

It is experimentally demonstrated that the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) can be controlled through the radiation phases. Corresponding investigations are performed by exciting a sodium atomic vapour by four-frequency laser radiation in a double-Λ configuration. In such a system the nonabsorbing (dark) state, responsible for EIT, is created only for particular values of the relative radiation phase. This phase dependency is confirmed using three different methods of phase control. Additionally, the relative phase is set at defined values in order to adjust the medium to a fixed transmission behaviour.