Spin-noise spectroscopy is emerging as a powerful technique for studying the dynamics of various spin systems also beyond their thermal equilibrium and linear response.In this context, we demonstrate a nonstandard mode of the spin-noise analysis applied to an out-of-equilibrium nonlinear atomic system realized by a Bell-Bloom atomic magnetometer.Driven by an external pump and undergoing a parametric excitation, this system is known to produce noise squeezing.Our measurements not only reveal a strong asymmetry in the noise distribution of the atomic signal quadratures at the magnetic resonance, but also provide insight into the mechanism behind its generation and evolution.In particular, a structure in the spectrum is identified which allows to investigate the main dependencies and the characteristic timescales of the noise process.The results obtained are compatible with parametrically induced noise squeezing.Notably, the noise spectrum provides information on the spin dynamics even in regimes where the macroscopic atomic coherence is lost, effectively enhancing the sensitivity of the measurements.Our Letter promotes spin-noise spectroscopy as a versatile technique for the study of noise squeezing in a wide range of spin-based magnetic sensors.
Spin-noise spectroscopy is emerging as a powerful technique for studying the dynamics of various spin systems also beyond their thermal equilibrium and linear response.In this context, we demonstrate a nonstandard mode of the spin-noise analysis applied to an out-of-equilibrium nonlinear atomic system realized by a Bell-Bloom atomic magnetometer.Driven by an external pump and undergoing a parametric excitation, this system is known to produce noise squeezing.Our measurements not only reveal a strong asymmetry in the noise distribution of the atomic signal quadratures at the magnetic resonance, but also provide insight into the mechanism behind its generation and evolution.In particular, a structure in the spectrum is identified which allows to investigate the main dependencies and the characteristic timescales of the noise process.The results obtained are compatible with parametrically induced noise squeezing.Notably, the noise spectrum provides information on the spin dynamics even in regimes where the macroscopic atomic coherence is lost, effectively enhancing the sensitivity of the measurements.Our Letter promotes spin-noise spectroscopy as a versatile technique for the study of noise squeezing in a wide range of spin-based magnetic sensors.
We report on the use of parametric excitation to coherently manipulate the collective spin state of an atomic vapor at room temperature. Signatures of the parametric excitation are detected in the ground-state spin evolution. These include the excitation spectrum of the atomic coherences, which contains resonances at frequencies characteristic of the parametric process. The amplitudes of the signal quadratures show amplification and attenuation, and their noise distribution is characterized by a strong asymmetry, similar to those observed in mechanical oscillators. The parametric excitation is produced by periodic modulation of the pumping beam, exploiting a Bell-Bloom-like technique widely used in atomic magnetometry. Notably, we find that the noise squeezing obtained by this technique enhances the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurements up to a factor of 10, and improves the performance of a Bell-Bloom magnetometer by a factor of 3.
We explore the applications of spin noise spectroscopy (SNS) for detection of the spin properties of atomic ensembles in and out of equilibrium. In SNS, a linearly polarized far-detuned probe beam on passing through an ensemble of atomic spins acquires the information of the spin correlations of the system which is extracted using its time-resolved Faraday-rotation noise. We measure various atomic, magnetic and sub-atomic properties as well as perform precision magnetometry using SNS in rubidium atomic vapor in thermal equilibrium. Thereafter, we manipulate the relative spin populations between different ground state hyperfine levels of rubidium by controlled optical pumping which drives the system out of equilibrium. We then apply SNS to probe such spin imbalance non-perturbatively. We further use this driven atomic vapor to demonstrate that SNS can have better resolution than typical absorption spectroscopy in detecting spectral lines in the presence of various spectral broadening mechanisms.
We describe a relatively non-invasive optical spectroscopy technique, known as spin noise spectroscopy (SNS), to probe spontaneous magnetization fluctuations in an alkali atomic vapor at thermal equilibrium. The atomic magnetization at a non-zero temperature fluctuates about its equilibrium value, and such magnetization (spin) noise imparts fluctuation in the measured Faraday rotation of a far-detuned, linearly polarized probe laser beam passing through the vapor. This Faraday rotation fluctuation reveals the intrinsic spin dynamics of the electrons in the alkali vapor. We present a systematic experimental study of the SNS realized in thermal rubidium vapor and illustrate how one can measure various magnetic and chemical properties of the sample with minimal perturbation. We also demonstrate the applicability of this spectroscopy technique in measuring the spin populations and their dynamics in different hyperfine and magnetic levels by optically pumping the atomic system.
Spin noise spectroscopy (SNS) is a new method for studying magnetic resonance and spin dynamics that has gained, in the last several years, a considerable popularity. The method is based on measuring magnetization noise of a paramagnet using the Faraday rotation technique. In strong contrast with methods of nonlinear optics, the spectroscopy of spin noise is considered to be essentially nonperturbative. At the same time, presently, it became clear that the SNS, as an optical technique, demonstrates abilities lying far beyond the bounds of conventional linear optics. Specifically, the SNS allows one to penetrate inside an inhomogeneously broadened absorption band and to determine its homogeneous width, to realize a sort of pump-probe spectroscopy without any optical nonlinearity, to probe a bulk inhomogeneous medium by focal point of a probe beam, etc. This may seem especially puzzling when taken into account that SNS can be considered just as a version of Raman spectroscopy, which is known to be deprived of such abilities. Understanding of these paradoxical features of SNS technique is required for the present-day applications of SNS and its further development. In this paper, we present a general analysis of this apparent inconsistency from the viewpoint of distinction between spectroscopy of the light intensity and of the light field and provide its resolution.
Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) are revolutionizing the task of magnetic-field sensing due to their extremely high sensitivity combined with technological improvements in miniaturization which have led to compact and portable devices. OPMs can be based on spin-oriented or spin-aligned atomic ensembles which are spin polarized through optical pumping with circular or linear polarized light, respectively. Characterization of OPMs and the dynamical properties of their noise is important for applications in real-time sensing tasks. In our work, we experimentally perform spin noise spectroscopy of an alignment-based magnetometer. Moreover, we propose a stochastic model that predicts the noise power spectra exhibited by the device when, apart from the strong magnetic field responsible for the Larmor precession of the spin, white noise is applied in the perpendicular direction aligned with the pumping-probing beam. By varying the strength of the noise applied as well as the linear-polarization angle of incoming light, we verify the model to accurately predict the heights of the Larmor-induced spectral peaks and their corresponding linewidths. Our work paves the way for alignment-based magnetometers to become operational in real-time sensing tasks. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
For spin-polarized ensembles of alkali-metal atoms with hyperfine structure and spin greater than 1/2, the interplay between spin dynamics and quantum noise mechanisms remains largely unexplored, especially in the spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) regime. In particular, the theoretical understanding of the dynamics for the mean values of the spin operators was established shortly after the advent of optical pumping. In contrast, a corresponding theory for spin fluctuations has not yet been developed, and is addressed in this work. Here, we develop such a first-principles theory of spin fluctuations in alkalimetal vapors. The nonlinearity bottleneck of spin-exchange collisions, which dominate the physics of such vapors, is overcome by linearizing the dynamics around the equilibrium density matrix. The result is a precise calculation of the absolute magnetic sensing limit of optically pumped atomic magnetometers, which can precisely benchmark quantum limited and quantum enhanced protocols, in contrast to the traditional approach shown to be adequate only within a factor of 2. Further, we elucidate how signal and noise in atomic magnetometers are distributed among the spin eigenmodes defined under continuous optical pumping and probing via the paramagnetic Faraday rotation. Notably, in the SERF regime, alongside the magnetic resonance narrowing, we find a reduction of spin noise at the spin-precession frequency as a consequence of strong hyperfine correlations redistributing spin noise, when both hyperfine manifolds are simultaneously probed. These insights can lead to improved quantum devices utilizing alkali-metal atoms or similar spin-based sensing platforms.