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arXiv:2104.08192

High-quality level-crossing resonances under counterpropagating circularly polarized light waves for applications in atomic magnetometry

Denis V. Brazhnikov, V. I. Vishnyakov, S M Ignatovich, I. S. Mesenzova, C. Andreeva, Andrei Goncharov

Published Apr 16, 2021• 0 citations
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Abstract

Level-crossing (LC) resonances in a buffer-gas-filled cesium vapor cell are studied under counterpropagating pump and probe light waves with opposite circular polarizations. The waves excite the D$_1$-line ground-state level $F_g$$=\,$$4$, while a transverse magnetic field (${\rm B}_x$$\perp$${\rm k}$) is scanned around zero to observe the resonance of electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA). It is shown that adding the pump light wave significantly improves the properties of the resonances in comparison with the commonly used scheme with a single light wave. As far as a small vapor cell ($\approx\,$0.1 cm$^3$) at relatively low temperature ($\approx\,$45-60$\,^\circ$C) is utilized, the results have good prospects for developing a low-power miniaturized atomic magnetometer.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2104.08192

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arXiv:1709.05370•Sep 15, 2017•0 citations
Level-crossing (LC) resonances in a buffer-gas-filled cesium vapor cell are studied under counterpropagating pump and probe light waves with opposite circular polarizations. The waves excite the D1_11​-line ground-state level F_g$$=\,$$4, while a transverse magnetic field ({\rm B}_x$$\perp$${\rm k}) is scanned around zero to observe the resonance of electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA). It is shown that adding the pump light wave significantly improves the properties of the resonances in comparison with the commonly used scheme with a single light wave. As far as a small vapor cell (≈ \approx\,≈0.1 cm3^33) at relatively low temperature (≈ \approx\,≈45-60 ∘\,^\circ∘C) is utilized, the results have good prospects for developing a low-power miniaturized atomic magnetometer.
Level-crossing (LC) resonances in alkali-metal vapors are widely used for atomic magnetometry. One of the most simple and robust techniques involves a single circularly polarized light wave, while a transverse magnetic field (Bx⊥k) is scanned around zero to observe the subnatural-linewidth resonance of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in the light wave transmission. This technique allows miniaturization of the magnetic field sensor to a great extent, maintaining high sensitivity of measurements. To obtain a high quality factor of the LC resonance and, therefore, high performance of the sensor, either a high temperature (>120 °C) or an extended volume of the vapor cell (V≫1 cm3) is usually required. Here, we propose a slight modification to the commonly used configuration, which can provide high-quality LC resonances in small (≪1 cm3) vapor cells at a relatively low temperature of 60 °C or less. The modification consists in adding the second (pump) counterpropagating light wave with opposite circular polarization (σ+σ− configuration). In our experiments, the waves excite the D1-line ground-state level Fg=4 in cesium atoms in the presence of a buffer gas (Ne, 130 Torr). In the proposed scheme, a subnatural-linewidth electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) resonance is observed. We compare parameters of the EIA resonance with those obtained in the single-wave scheme to show benefits of using the proposed σ+σ− configuration. The results have good prospects for developing a low-power miniaturized atomic magnetometer with a wide operating range.
Abstract Zero-field level-crossing resonances (LCRs) underlay one of the most robust and simplest techniques in atomic magnetometry. LCR-based miniaturized magnetic field sensors have already found relevant applications in biology and medicine. Such sensors utilize a single circularly polarized light wave to interact with alkali-metal atoms (usually Rb or Cs) and to observe the LCR in a vapor-cell transmission when a transverse magnetic field is scanned around zero value. A high-temperature regime (T ≈ 120 − 160°C) is required to achieve a desirable sensitivity of measurements. It can be a problem for some applications, especially in a multi-channel mode of operation. Here, we consider two spectroscopy techniques that can provide high-contrast and narrow LCRs under a relatively low temperature of the cell (≤60°C). These techniques imply using two light waves: the pump wave to polarize the atoms and the probe one to register the resonance. A cubic glass cell of 5×5×5 mm3 size is used in the experiments. It is filled with cesium vapors and neon as a buffer gas. The results can be used for developing a miniaturized low-power high-sensitivity magnetic field sensor for biomedical applications.
We examine the level-crossing resonance in a cesium vapor cell filled with a buffer gas under counterpropagating pump and probe light waves with orthogonal linear polarizations. An optical transition F g = 4 → F e = 3 is excited in the D 1 line. Probe-wave transmission is analyzed versus a static magnetic field applied along the wave vectors. This configuration can provide ultrahigh-contrast electromagnetically induced absorption resonances. We report here a new, to the best of our knowledge, magneto-optical effect in the resonance shift caused by a transverse magnetic field and discuss how it can be applied in vector magnetometry.
Abstract Electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) of cesium atoms exposed to counter-propagating light waves with orthogonal linear polarizations is studied. Probe beam transmission through a buffer gas-filled vapor cell is monitored as a function of a static magnetic field applied parallel to the wave vectors. The light waves are tuned to a single dipole transition F g → F e in the D 1 line ( λ = 894.6 nm). The proposed magneto-optical configuration helps overcome a long-standing problem in obtaining high-contrast EIA resonances in conjunction with narrow linewidths. Our experiments demonstrate EIA contrast with respect to a broad Doppler absorption background ( C D ) as high as 1630%. Thus, a high value of C D means that background absorption is almost absent, and the vapor cell transmission profile represents only a single narrow resonance. This result is unique for EIA as well as for electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effects, because usually in a resonant medium, narrow EIT or EIA resonances are accompanied by natural-linewidth or other broad spectral features, even in the case of cold atoms. The resonance contrast with respect to the light transmission background ( C back ) is also high enough, reaching 75% in the experiments. The full width at half maximum of the narrowest observed EIA is approximately 0.77 mG (0.7 × 0.77 = 540 Hz in the frequency domain). The considered simple scheme has good prospects for the development of various quantum magneto-optical devices such as optical switches and atomic magnetometers.
The ground-state Hanle effect (GSHE) in alkali-metal atomic vapor using a single circularly polarized light wave underlies one of the most reliable and simple techniques of modern atomic magnetometry. This effect causes a narrow (subnatural-width) resonance in the light wave intensity passing through the vapor cell. The GSHE-based sensors typically operate in the so-called spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime to reduce the resonance linewidth. However, this regime requires a relatively high temperature of vapors (approximately equal to $150{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}\mathrm{C}$), leading to high heat release and power consumption of the sensor head. In addition, without applying special measures, the SERF regime significantly limits the dynamic range of measurements. Here we study a pump-probe scheme involving a single elliptically polarized light wave and a polarimetric detection technique. The wave is in resonance with two adjacent optical transitions in the cesium D1{D}_{1}D1​ line ($\ensuremath{\lambda}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\approx}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}894.5$ nm) due to their overlap in the presence of a buffer gas (130 Torr neon). Using a small ($V\ensuremath{\approx}0.1\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$) glass vapor cell, we demonstrate the possibility to observe subnatural-width resonances with a high contrast-to-width ratio (up to 45%/mG) in low-temperature ($60{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}\mathrm{C}$) operation due to strong light-induced circular dichroism in the medium. Based on the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ scheme of atomic energy levels, we obtain explicit analytical expressions for the shape of the resonance line. The model reveals a linewidth narrowing effect due to openness of the level scheme. The observed bright features are unusual for magneto-optical atomic spectroscopy as openness is commonly considered to be an undesirable effect that degrades resonance characteristics. Measuring the noise voltage, we estimate the sensitivity of the magnetic-field measurements to be 1.8 pT/Hz\mathrm{pT}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}pT/Hz​ with a sensitivity of 60 fT/Hz\mathrm{fT}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}fT/Hz​ in the photon-shot-noise limit. In general, the results contribute to the theory of GSHE resonances and also can be applied to development of a low-temperature high-sensitivity miniaturized magnetic-field sensor with an extended dynamic range.
A new configuration for observation of magneto-optical subnatural-linewidth resonances of electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) in alkali vapor has been verified experimentally. The configuration includes using two counter-propagating pump and probe light waves with mutually orthogonal linear polarizations, exciting an open optical transition of an alkali atom in the presence of a buffer gas. The main advantage of the novel observation scheme consists in the possibility of obtaining simultaneously high-contrast and quite narrow nonlinear signals. Here a 2.5-cm long rubidium-87 vapor cell filled with Ar buffer gas is used, and the excited optical transition is the Fg_gg​=2 →\to→ Fe_ee​=1 of the D1_11​ line. The signals registered reach a contrast of 57.7% with a FWHM of 7.2 mG. The contrast with respect to a wide Doppler pedestal well exceeds 100%. To our knowledge, to date this is the best result for EIA resonances in terms of contrast-to-width ratio. In general, the results demonstrate that the new magneto-optical scheme has very good prospects for various applications in quantum metrology, nonlinear optics and photonics.