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arXiv:1903.05386 · Physical Review Applied

Experimental Demonstration of Three-Photon Coherent Population Trapping in an Ion Cloud

Mathieu Collombon, C. Chatou, G. Hagel, J. Pedregosa-Gutierrez, M. Houssin, Martina Knoop, C. Champenois

Published Sep 18, 2019• 9 citations
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Abstract

The authors significantly extend the optical technique of coherent population trapping (CPT) using three photons, based on a dark resonance of trapped Ca${}^{+}$ ions. CPT with three photons is an important approach for high-precision measurements, as it opens up the use of large ensembles of trapped ions, rather than individual atoms. Furthermore, an atomic terahertz frequency reference based on three visible lasers can be derived from this technique. Terahertz spectroscopy is a rapidly growing field with a host of applications, and recent studies point to a clear need for frequency standards in this range.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.12.034035

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The authors significantly extend the optical technique of coherent population trapping (CPT) using three photons, based on a dark resonance of trapped Ca+{}^{+}+ ions. CPT with three photons is an important approach for high-precision measurements, as it opens up the use of large ensembles of trapped ions, rather than individual atoms. Furthermore, an atomic terahertz frequency reference based on three visible lasers can be derived from this technique. Terahertz spectroscopy is a rapidly growing field with a host of applications, and recent studies point to a clear need for frequency standards in this range.
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A scheme for a terahertz frequency standard based on three-photon coherent population trapping in stored ions is proposed. Assuming the propagation directions of the three lasers obey the phase matching condition, we show that stability of few 10(-14) at 1 s can be reached with a precision limited by power broadening to 10(-11) in the less favorable case. The referenced terahertz signal can be propagated over long distances, the useful information being carried by the relative frequency of the three optical photons.
Coherent population trapping (CPT) resonance signals have promise in a wide range of applications involving precision sensing. Generally, the CPT phenomenon occurs in a three-level Λ system with a bichromatic phase-coherent light fields. We theoretically and experimentally studied an Rb vapor-cell-based atomic system involving bichromatic CPT optical fields and an external microwave (MW) field simultaneously. In such a mixing scheme, the coherence of the ground states could be controlled either by the Rabi frequency of the microwave field or by the relative phase between the optical fields and the MW field. Moreover, we investigated the Rabi resonance in this mixing scheme. The Rabi frequency of the MW field can be measured SI (International System of Units)-traceably based on the Rabi resonance lineshape, and thus holds the potential to realize intensity stabilization of the optical field in this system. Simple theoretical models and numerical calculations are also presented to explain the experimental results. There is scope to use the proposed technique in future development of SI-traceable optical field strength standards.
We present theoretical and experimental results of coherent population trapping spectra on a multilevel $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$-type configuration, adding a third beam to the standard two-laser $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ system to avoid undesired optical pumping. We show that the extra laser can preserve the nature of the dark resonances or introduce decoherence depending on its power. Experiments are carried out using a single trapped 40Ca+^{40}\mathrm{Ca}^{+}40Ca+ ion in the ${S}_{1/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{P}_{1/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{D}_{3/2}$ manifold. Theoretically, the problem is solved with a Floquet-type expansion of the Liouvillian that correctly predicts all of the measured spectra without the need of full time integration. As a first application of the multilaser technique, we show that the richer spectra obtained can be used as a vectorial polarimeter of one of the beams, allowing one to measure the electrical field at the ion's position in any spatial direction. We also explain how our setup could realize a thermometer with tunable sensitivity and no laser-linewidth dependence.