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arXiv:1005.0215 · New Journal of Physics

Rubidium dimers in paraffin-coated cells

Víctor M. Acosta, Andrey Jarmola, D Windes, Eric Corsini, M. P. Ledbetter, Todor S. Karaulanov, Marcis P. Auzinsh, S. A. Rangwala, Derek F. Jackson Kimball, Dmitry Budker

Published Aug 26, 2010• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Measurements were made to determine the density of rubidium dimer vapor in paraffin-coated cells. The number density of dimers and atoms in similar paraffin-coated and uncoated cells was measured by optical spectroscopy. Due to the relatively low melting point of paraffin, a limited temperature range of 43–80 °C was explored, with the lower end corresponding to a dimer density of less than 10 7 cm − 3 . With 1 min integration time, a sensitivity to dimer number density of better than 10 6 cm − 3 was achieved. No significant difference in dimer density between the cells was observed.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/12/8/083054

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Measurements were made to determine the density of rubidium dimer vapor in paraffin-coated cells. The number density of dimers and atoms in similar paraffin-coated and uncoated cells was measured by optical spectroscopy. Due to the relatively low melting point of paraffin, a limited temperature range of 43–80 °C was explored, with the lower end corresponding to a dimer density of less than 10 7 cm − 3 . With 1 min integration time, a sensitivity to dimer number density of better than 10 6 cm − 3 was achieved. No significant difference in dimer density between the cells was observed.
Observation of nonthermal, light-induced desorption of Cs and Rb atoms from paraffin coating is reported. Buffer-gas-free paraffin-coated cells containing Cs and Rb were exposed to laser light of various intensities and frequencies, and the change of the vapor densities as a function of time was investigated. Because atomic polarization relaxes very slowly in paraffin-coated cells (spin-relaxation times can be $\ensuremath{\gtrsim}1\mathrm{s}),$ they are applied in a variety of precision measurements (e.g., magnetometry, discrete symmetry tests, etc.). Light-induced desorption may be useful in such measurements as a method to control atomic density without changing the temperature of the cell.
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Antirelaxation coatings in atomic vapor cells allow ground-state coherent spin states to survive many collisions with the cell walls. This reduction in the ground-state decoherence rate gives rise to ultranarrow-bandwidth features in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) spectra, which can form the basis of, for example, long-time scale slow and stored light, sensitive magnetometers, and precise frequency standards. Here we study, both experimentally and theoretically, how Zeeman EIT contrast and width in paraffin-coated rubidium vapor cells are determined by cell and laser-beam geometry, laser intensity, and atomic density. Using a picture of Ramsey pulse sequences, where atoms alternately spend ``bright'' and ``dark'' time intervals inside and outside the laser beam, we explain the behavior of EIT features in coated cells, highlighting their unique characteristics and potential applications.
Alkali-metal vapor cells with antirelaxation coating (especially paraffin-coated cells) have been a central tool in optical pumping and atomic spectroscopy experiments for 50 years. We have discovered a dramatic change of the alkali-metal vapor density in a paraffin-coated cell upon application of an electric field to the cell. A systematic experimental characterization of the phenomenon is carried out for electric fields ranging in strength from 0--8 kV/cm for paraffin-coated cells containing rubidium and cells containing cesium. The typical response of the vapor density to a rapid (duration $\ensuremath{\lesssim}100\text{ }\text{ms}$) change in electric field of sufficient magnitude includes (a) a rapid (duration of $\ensuremath{\lesssim}100\text{ }\text{ms}$) and significant increase in alkali-metal vapor density followed by (b) a less rapid (duration of $\ensuremath{\sim}1\text{ }\text{s}$) and significant decrease in vapor density (below the equilibrium vapor density), and then (c) a slow (duration of $\ensuremath{\sim}100\text{ }\text{s}$) recovery of the vapor density to its equilibrium value. Measurements conducted after the alkali-metal vapor density has returned to its equilibrium value indicate minimal change (at the level of $\ensuremath{\lesssim}10%$) in the relaxation rate of atomic polarization. Experiments suggest that the phenomenon is related to an electric-field-induced modification of the paraffin coating.
We measured the rate of velocity-changing collisions (VCCs) between alkali atoms and background gas in buffer-gas-free anti-spin-relaxation-coated cells. The average VCC rate in paraffin-coated rubidium vapor cells prepared in this work was 1×1061 \times 10^{6}1×106 s−1^{-1}−1, which corresponds to $\sim$1 mm in the mean free path of rubidium atoms. This short mean free path indicates that alkali atoms do not travel freely between the cell walls. In addition, we found that a heating process known as increases the VCC rate, and also confirmed that ripening improves the anti-relaxation performance of the coatings.