Mid-infrared Airy beam generation at room temperature

This paper investigates the potential of nonlinear processes in an inhomogeneously broadened atomic ensemble to generate an Airy beam in the mid-IR regime. We concentrate on a four-level 85Rb atomic system that interacts nonlinearly with two strong control fields and a weak probe field. This interaction results in a non-degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) signal at a wavelength of 5.23 mu m, facilitating the transfer of Airy features from the probe field to the mid-IR FWM signal. Using computational methods, we numerically solve Maxwell's wave equation in the paraxial limit, demonstrating the successful transfer of Airy beam-induced spatial inhomogeneity from atomic coherence to the generated mid-IR signal. We show the generation of a finite-energy mid-IR Airy beam through the nonlinear FWM process, with transverse intensity variations observed at different propagation lengths, offering enhanced visualization of the Airy beam's evolution. The generation and manipulation of the Airy beam provides significant advantages for imaging, sensing, spectroscopy, and optical communications. Their self-healing properties and ability to preserve beam integrity over long distances enhance precision, resolution, and reliability, making them ideal for various mid-IR applications. (c) 2025 Optica Publishing Group. All rights, including for text and data mining (TDM), Artificial Intelligence (AI) training, and similar technologies, are reserved.