All-cavity electromagnetically induced transparency and optical switching: semiclassical theory

The transmission of a probe field experiencing electromagnetically induced transparency and optical switching in an atomic medium enclosed in an optical cavity is investigated. Using a semiclassical input-output theory for the interaction between an ensemble of four-level atoms and three optical cavity fields coupled to the same spatial cavity mode, we derive the steady-state transmission spectra of the probe field and discuss the dynamics of the intracavity field buildup. The analytical and numerical results are in good agreement with recent experiments with ion Coulomb crystals [M. Albert et al., Nature Photon. 5, 633 (2011)].