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arXiv:2009.13212 · Physical Review Applied

Femtotesla Direct Magnetic Gradiometer Using a Single Multipass Cell

V.G. Lucivero, W. Lee, N. Dural, M.V. Romalis

Published Jan 6, 2021• 72 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We describe a direct gradiometer using optical pumping with opposite circular polarization in two ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atomic ensembles within a single multipass cell. A far-detuned probe laser undergoes a near-zero paramagnetic Faraday rotation due to the intrinsic subtraction of two contributions exceeding 3.5 rad from the highly polarized ensembles. We develop analysis methods for the direct gradiometer signal and measure a gradiometer sensitivity of 10.1 $\mathrm{fT}/\mathrm{cm}\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$. We also demonstrate that our multipass design, in addition to increasing the optical depth, provides a fundamental advantage due to the significantly reduced effect of atomic diffusion on the spin-noise time-correlation, in excellent agreement with the theoretical estimate.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.15.014004

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The ultrasensitive magnetometer has a vital importance in fundamental research and applications. Currently, the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometer has been reported with a sensitivity around the level of fT/Hz 1/2 . To enhance the sensitivity, a gradiometer configuration has usually been introduced to cancel the common-mode noise between two separate channels. However, the signal and response from different channels are not the same due to the attenuation of the pump beam. Here, we proposed a counter-propagating optical sideband pumping method to polarize the atoms, using the electro-optic modulator to modulate the single-pump beam, generating two symmetrically red- and blue-detuned sidebands of frequency. This scheme leads to a significant reduction of undesirable effects coming along with the optical pumping, such as light shifts and spatial inhomogeneity in atomic spin polarization. With the help of this pumping scheme, the two channels have the same magnetic response, and we have built a gradiometer atomic magnetometer with a sensitivity of 0.5 fT/Hz 1/2 ranging from 5 to 40 Hz. Our results propose the possibility of creating larger arrays of atomic magnetometers (AMs) with high sensitivity and spatial resolution based on single-vapor cells for magnetocardiography and magnetoencephalography imaging or searching for exotic spin-dependent interactions.
Paramagnetic Faraday rotation is a powerful technique for atom sensing widely used in quantum nondemolition measurements, fundamental symmetry tests, and other precision measurements. We demonstrate the use of a multipass optical cell for Faraday rotation spectroscopy and observe polarization rotation in excess of 100 rad from spin-polarized Rb vapor. Unlike optical cavities, multipass cells have a deterministic number of light passes and can be used to measure large optical rotations. We also observe a tenfold suppression of transverse spin relaxation when Rb atoms are placed in a coherent superposition state immune to spin-exchange collisions.
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