arXiv:1003.2766 · Optics Express
Repumping ground-state population in a coherently driven atomic resonance
Asif Sinay, M. Shuker, Ofer Firstenberg, Amnon Fisher, Amit Ben-Kish, Jeff Steinhauer
Abstract
We experimentally demonstrate an optical pumping technique to pump a dilute rubidium vapor into the m(F) = 0 ground states. The technique utilizes selection rules that forbid the excitation of the m(F) = 0 states by linearly-polarized light. A substantial increase in the transparency contrast of the coherent-population-trapping resonance used for frequency standards is demonstrated.