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arXiv:1001.1629 · Physical Review A

Nonlinear Faraday rotation and detection of superposition states in cold atoms

Adam M. Wojciechowski, Eric Corsini, Jerzy Zachorowski, Wojciech Gawlik

Published May 24, 2010• 29 citations
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Abstract

We report on the observation of nonlinear Faraday rotation with cold atoms at a temperature of $~100$ $\ensuremath{\mu}$K. The observed nonlinear rotation of the light polarization plane is up to $0.1$ rad over the $1$-mm-size atomic cloud in approximately $10$-mG magnetic field. The nonlinearity of rotation results from long-lived coherence of ground-state Zeeman sublevels created by a near-resonant light. The method allows for creation, detection, and control of atomic superposition states. It also allows applications for precision magnetometry with high spatial and temporal resolution.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.81.053420

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We report on the observation of nonlinear Faraday rotation with cold atoms at a temperature of  100~100 100 \ensuremathμ\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremathμK. The observed nonlinear rotation of the light polarization plane is up to 0.10.10.1 rad over the 111-mm-size atomic cloud in approximately 101010-mG magnetic field. The nonlinearity of rotation results from long-lived coherence of ground-state Zeeman sublevels created by a near-resonant light. The method allows for creation, detection, and control of atomic superposition states. It also allows applications for precision magnetometry with high spatial and temporal resolution.
Magneto-optical (Faraday) rotation is a process in which the plane of light polarization rotates as light propagates through a medium along the direction of a magnetic field. In atomic vapors where ground state atomic polarization relaxes very slowly (relaxation rates ≳1 Hz), there arise ultranarrow, light-power-dependent (nonlinear) features in the magnetic field dependence of Faraday rotation. The shot-noise-limited sensitivity of a magnetometer based on nonlinear Faraday rotation can exceed 10−11 G/Hz, corresponding to a sensitivity of ∼10−6 Hz/Hz to Zeeman sublevel shifts. Here we discuss recent progress in magnetometry based on nonlinear optical rotation and consider the application of these methods to searches for fundamental-symmetry-violating interactions.
We study the possibility of creating quantum superposition states in alkali atoms. Our methodology is based on the phenomenon of nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR). The effect of magneto-optical rotation occurs whenever the resonant light propagates through the medium immersed in a longitudinal magnetic field and manifests itself as a rotation of the polarization plane of light. The effect is strongly enhanced by the nonlinearity of light-atom interaction and allows state-of-the art atomic magnetometry. On the other hand, the nonlinear magneto-rotation provides means to controllably affect and detect atom's quantum state. We present the work on this topic and report on some characteristics of superposition quantum states such as lifetimes or efficiency of it's creation in various conditions.
The authors report on their investigations on nonlinear Faraday effect (NFE), i.e. light-intensity dependent rotation of the polarization plane of linearly polarized light upon its propagation through a medium placed in a magnetic field. The phenomenon is associated with quantum superpositions of atomic or molecular levels of particles constituting the medium. In this context it is based on the same grounds as electromagnetically induced transparency, coherent population trapping, storage and retrieval of light pulse from a medium. The paper also discusses the mechanisms of generation and detection of the superpositions with light and means of controllable tailoring of a quantum state in long-living (lifetimes >10 ms) atomic state.