Slow-light analogue with a ladder of RLC circuits

Abstract

The linear susceptibility of an atomic sample is formally equivalent to the response of a RLC circuit. We use a ladder of lumped RLC circuits to observe an analogue of slow-light, a well-known phenomenon in atomic physics. We first characterize the radio-frequency response of the circuit in the spectral domain exhibiting a transparency window surrounded by two strongly absorptive lines. We then observe a delayed pulse whose group delay is comparable to the pulse duration corresponding to slow-light propagation. The large group delay is obtained by cascading in a ladder configuration doubly resonant RLC cells.