Absorptive reduction and width narrowing in λ-type atoms confined between two dielectric walls

This paper investigates the absorptive reduction and the width narrowing of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a thin vapour film of λ-type atoms confined between two dielectric walls whose thickness is comparable with the wavelength of the probe field. The absorptive lines of the weak probe field exhibit strong reductions and very narrow EIT dips, which mainly results from the velocity slow-down effects and transient behaviour of atoms in a confined system. It is also shown that the lines are modified by the strength of the coupling field and the ratio of L/λ, with L the film thickness and λ the wavelength of the probe field. A simple robust recipe for EIT in a thin medium is achievable in experiment. (general)