Phase sensitive Raman process with correlated seeds

A phase sensitive Raman scattering was experimentally demonstrated by injecting a Stokes light seed into an atomic ensemble, whose internal state is set in such a way that it is coherent with the input Stokes seed. Such phase sensitive characteristic is a result of interference effect due to the phase correlation between the injected Stokes light field and the internal state of the atomic ensemble in the Raman process. Furthermore, the constructive interference leads to a Raman efficiency larger than other kinds of Raman processes such as stimulated Raman process with Stokes seed injection alone or uncorrelated light-atom seeding. It may find applications in precision spectroscopy, quantum optics, and precise measurement.