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arXiv:1904.08552 · Journal of Applied Physics

Spin image of an atomic vapor cell with a resolution smaller than the diffusion crosstalk free distance

Hai-Feng Dong, Jing-Ling Chen, Ji-Min Li, Chen Liu, Ai-Xian Li, Nan Zhao, Fen-Zhuo Guo

Published Jun 27, 2019• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The diffusion crosstalk free distance is an important parameter for spin images in atomic vapor cells and is also regarded as a limit on the spatial resolution. However, by modulating the pumping light both spatially and temporally using a digital micromirror device, a spin image of a vapor cell has been obtained with a distinguishable stripe width of 13.7 μm, which is much smaller than the corresponding diffusion crosstalk free distance of ∼138 μm. The fundamental limit on the spatial resolution as determined by diffusion and the uncertainty principle is analyzed.

DOI
10.1063/1.5099156

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The diffusion crosstalk free distance is an important parameter for spin images in atomic vapor cells and is also regarded as a limit on the spatial resolution. However, by modulating the pumping light both spatially and temporally using a digital micromirror device, a spin image of a vapor cell has been obtained with a distinguishable stripe width of 13.7 μm, which is much smaller than the corresponding diffusion crosstalk free distance of ∼138 μm. The fundamental limit on the spatial resolution as determined by diffusion and the uncertainty principle is analyzed.
We describe a method for measuring the spin spatial frequency response in a Cs vapor cell by using a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) to modulate the pumping light both spatially and temporally. An equivalent space-alternative magnetic field is created by this way. The pumping light through the Cs vapor cell is measured and analyzed in spatial frequency domain. We obtain the spatial frequency response of the Cs vapor cell from 1.4 cm-1to 364.9 cm-1. The theoretical results of the spatial frequency response according to Fick's second diffusion law agree with the experimental results. This method provides an alternate approach for spatial characterization and three-dimensional imaging of spins.
Magnetic field source localization and imaging happen at different scales. The sensing baseline ranges from meter scale, such as magnetic anomaly detection, to centimeter scale, such as brain field imaging, to nanometer scale, such as the imaging of a magnetic skyrmion and single cell. Here, we show how an atomic vapor cell can be used to realize a baseline of 109.6 μm with a magnetic sensitivity of 10 pT/Hz1/2 @0.6–100 Hz and a dynamic range of 2062–4124 nT. We used a free induction decay (FID) scheme to suppress low-frequency noise and avoid scale factor variation for different domains due to light non-uniformity. The measurement domains are scanned by a digital micromirror device. The currents of 22, 30, 38, and 44 mA are applied in the coils to generate different fields along the pumping axis, which are measured respectively by fitting the FID signals of the probe light. The residual fields of every domain are obtained from the intercept of linearly fitting of the measurement data corresponding to these four currents. The coil-generated fields are calculated by deducting the residual fields from the total fields. The results demonstrate that the hole of shield affects both the residual and the coil-generated field distribution. The potential impact of field distribution measurement with outstanding comprehensive properties of spatial resolution, sensitivity, and dynamic range is far-reaching. It could lead to capability of 3D magnetography for small things and/or organs in millimeter or even smaller scale.
With the state-of-the-art quantum measurement devices, such as atomic clocks, atomic gyroscopes, and atomic magnetometers, as their central components, the spatiotemporal evolution of atomic spin polarization in the atomic vapor cell has a major effect on both increasing the bandwidth of magnetometer and improving the accuracy of magnetic gradient measurements. However, the major factor impeding the further improvement of the performance of quantum measurement instrument is the inherent static nature of the traditional intra-vapor cell segmentation imaging technique, which makes it challenging to achieve the real-time capture of the dynamic evolution of atomic spin states. In this work, we suggest a dynamic spin imaging method for alkali metal atomic vapor cells with real-time modification of atomic spin polarization states in order to overcome this technological difficulty. In particular, to ensure that the laser can precisely act on the alkali metal atoms in various regions in the vapor cell, we employ a complex beam array management system to modify the on/off state of the laser beams at various positions in the spatial dimension in real time. In the meantime, we generate laser fields with particular spatial distribution and frequency characteristics by using frequency modulation techniques in the time series to accurately regulate the on-off frequency of each laser beam in the beam array. These laser beams cause dynamic changes in the atomic spin polarization state by interacting with alkali metal atoms at various points in the vapor cell. Through precise adjustment of the laser properties, we can see and study the dynamic evolution of the atomic spin-polarization state in real time. According to the experimental data, the technology outperforms the traditional static spin imaging techniques by achieving an excellent temporal resolution of 355 frames per second and a spatial resolution of 95.9 micrometers. The effective use of this method enables us to monitor and evaluate the dynamic aspects of magnetic field distribution with unprecedented precision, also greatly enhance our understanding of the dynamic characteristics of atomic spin polarization.
Ultra-sensitive multi-channel optically pumped atomic magnetometers based on the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) effect are powerful tools for applications in the field of magnetic imaging. To simultaneously achieve ultra-high spatial resolution and ultra-high magnetic field sensitivity, we proposed a high-resolution multi-channel SERF atomic magnetometer for two-dimensional magnetic field measurements based on a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) as the spatial light modulator for a single vapor cell. Under the optimal experimental conditions obtained via spatial and temporal modulation of the probe light, we first demonstrated that the average sensitivity of the proposed 25-channel magnetometer was approximately 25fT/Hz 1/2 with a spatial resolution of 216µm. Then, we measured the magnetic field distribution generated by a gradient coil and compared the experimentally obtained distributions with those calculated via finite element simulation. The obtained g value of 99.2% indicated good agreement between our experimental results and the theoretical calculations, thereby confirming that our proposed multi-channel SERF magnetometer was effective at measuring magnetic field distributions with an ultra-high spatial resolution.
In recent years, sensors based on hot atomic vapor cells have emerged as a compact and highly sensitive means of measuring magnetic fields. Such sensors have been deployed in the field for the measurement of, e.g., biological systems, representing a promising practical application of quantum technologies. However, it remains challenging to obtain high-resolution magnetic field images from these sensors, and in most cases, the spatial resolution of the system is limited by the sensor size. Here, we demonstrate the combination of single-pixel imaging (SPI) techniques with an atom vapor Faraday magnetometer to achieve microscopic magnetic field imaging. We demonstrate magnetic field imaging with a spatial resolution of ≈ 62.5 μm, limited only by the resolution of our digital micromirror device projection system and the absence of magnetic shielding in our experimental setup.