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arXiv:2210.07687 · Physical Review Applied

Optimization of Nuclear Polarization in an Alkali-Noble Gas Comagnetometer

Emmanuel Klinger, Tianhao Liu, Mikhail Padniuk, M. Engler, Thomas W. Kornack, Szymon Pustelny, Derek F. Jackson Kimball, Dmitry Budker, Arne Wickenbrock

Published Apr 28, 2023• 35 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Self-compensated comagnetometers, employing overlapping samples of spin-polarized alkali and noble gases (for example K-${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$) are promising sensors for exotic beyond-the-standard-model fields and high-precision metrology such as rotation sensing. When the comagnetometer operates in the so-called self-compensated regime, the effective field, originating from contact interactions between the alkali valence electrons and the noble-gas nuclei, is compensated with an applied magnetic field. When the comagnetometer begins operation in a given magnetic field, spin-exchange optical pumping establishes an equilibrium between the alkali electron-spin polarization and the nuclear-spin polarization. Subsequently, when the magnetic field is tuned to the compensation point, the spin polarization is brought out of the equilibrium conditions. This causes a practical issue for long measurement times. We report on a method for closed-loop control of the compensation field. This method allows optimization of the operating parameters, especially magnetic field gradients, in spite of the inherently slow (hours to days) dynamics of the system. With the optimization, higher stable nuclear polarization, longer relaxation times, and stronger electron-nuclear coupling are achieved which is useful for nuclear-spin-based quantum memory, spin amplifiers, and gyroscopes. The optimized sensor demonstrates a sensitivity comparable to the best previous comagnetometer but with four times lower noble-gas density. This paves the way for applications in both fundamental and applied science.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.19.044092

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Achieving high energy resolution in spin systems is important for fundamental physics research and precision measurements, with alkali-noble-gas comagnetometers being among the best available sensors. We found a new relaxation mechanism in such devices, the gradient of the Fermi-contact-interaction field that dominates the relaxation of hyperpolarized nuclear spins. We report on precise control over spin distribution, demonstrating a tenfold increase of nuclear spin hyperpolarization and transverse coherence time with optimal hybrid optical pumping. Operating in the self-compensation regime, our $^{21}\mathrm{Ne}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Rb}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{K}$ comagnetometer achieves an ultrahigh inertial rotation sensitivity of $3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{rad}/\mathrm{s}/{\mathrm{Hz}}^{1/2}$ in the frequency range from 0.2 to 1.0 Hz, which is equivalent to the energy resolution of $3.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}23}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{eV}/\mathrm{Hz}}^{1/2}$. We propose to use this comagnetometer to search for exotic spin-dependent interactions involving proton and neutron spins. The projected sensitivity surpasses the previous experimental and astrophysical limits by more than 4 orders of magnitude.
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Spin exchange relaxation free (SERF) comagnetometers, which use coupled alkali metal and noble gas spins, are promising for precision measurements due to their potential for miniaturization and high sensitivity. In these systems, alkali atoms are optically pumped with circularly polarized light, and their polarization is transferred to noble gas nuclei via spin-exchange collisions. However, spatial inhomogeneities in alkali polarization induced by factors such as optical absorption, gas diffusion, and temperature gradients generate effective magnetic field gradients for the noble gas spins. These gradients accelerate spin relaxation and degrade overall sensor performance. This work introduces a pump beam reflection compensation scheme to improve alkali polarization uniformity in a SERF comagnetometer. By retro reflecting the pump beam back along its original optical path with reversed helicity, alkali atoms are repolarized from the opposite direction. This counter propagating beam compensates polarization gradients through reverse optical pumping, thereby homogenizing the effective field experienced by the noble gas spins. The modified pumping configuration enhances spatial uniformity while maintaining a simple and compact sensor architecture. A revised polarization rate model incorporating the retro reflected beam is presented. Simulations comparing single beam, 90% reflection, and total reflection configurations confirm a marked reduction in alkali polarization gradients for reflection based designs. Experimentally, the transverse relaxation time of the noble gas spins is extended by 77.66%, indicating significantly suppressed gradient induced decoherence. The proposed method supports the development of miniaturized, high performance SERF comagnetometers.
Alkali metal-noble gas comagnetometers operated in the regime of spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) have been widely used in fundamental physics tests and rotation sensing as gyroscope. Spin-exchange relaxation is an important systematic bias of the comagnetometer, which could limit sensitivity significantly. However, the suppression effect of the spin-exchange relaxation has not been examined quantitatively so far. Herein, we systematically investigate the relaxation of the alkali metal atoms and find that the spin-exchange relaxation is not completely eliminated under the normal operating condition of the K-Rb-21Ne comagnetometer. In addition to the optical pumping rate, the spin-exchange relaxation still plays a dominant role in the broadening of electron Zeeman resonances due to the large electron magnetic field. This is the first demonstration that the alkali metal atoms are operated in the near-SERF regime in the alkali metal-noble gas comagnetometer with a large election magnetic field, which will shed light on the way to reduce the relaxation of the alkali metal atoms and enhance the sensitivity of the comagnetometer.
We demonstrate a method for simultaneously measuring the spin polarizations of noble-gas and alkali-metal atoms. Under a low magnetic field, the polarized alkali-metal and noble-gas spin ensembles exhibit novel dynamics in the self-compensation and resonance regimes, which can be used to measure the polarizations. We perform this method on a K\mathrm{K}K-Rb\mathrm{Rb}Rb-21{}^{21}21Ne\mathrm{Ne}Ne comagnetometer with various operation temperatures and pump-light intensities. The polarization of alkali-metal electrons from 0.245 to 0.964 and the polarization of noble-gas nuclear spins from 0.01 to 0.065 are measured with relative uncertainties less than $12.4\mathrm{%}$. The measured polarizations are consistent with the theoretical model and are also verified by the traditional polarization-measurement method.
The elimination of relaxation resulting from spin-exchange (SE) interaction is crucial for ultrasensitive atomic comagnetometers. In this study, we demonstrate the SE relaxation is only partially suppressed and significantly broadens the magnetic linewidth in the K-Rb-21Ne comagnetometer. The SE relaxation arises from the compensation magnetic field when operating in the self-compensation regime. We propose a new method to measure the SE relaxation in the self-compensation regime where the alkali-metal and noble-gas spin ensembles are coupled. In the presence of SE relaxation, we find the optimal alkali-metal polarization for maximizing the sensitivity is shifted from the typical value. Under various conditions, we present a detailed study of the SE relaxation and the scale factor as a function of alkali-metal polarization, which are further verified by the theoretical models. The reduction of SE relaxation and improvement of scale factor by using 87Rb atoms is also studied.