Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review A

Atomic stabilization of field intensity using Rabi resonances

John G. Coffer, James C. Camparo

Published Jun 15, 2000• 32 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Just as it is possible to stabilize the frequency of an electromagnetic field to an atomic resonance between energy eigenstates, it is possible to stabilize the intensity or brightness of a field to an atomic Rabi resonance. For ease of reference, such a stabilized field is termed an ``atomic candle.'' Here, we describe a microwave atomic candle based on the $(F=2,$ ${m}_{F}=0)$--$(F=1,$ ${m}_{F}=0)$ ground-state hyperfine transition of ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ (6834.7 MHz) as observed in an optically pumped vapor. We discuss the atomic candle's operation and the intensity stability of the field it produces (relative to the Rabi-resonance peak). We then discuss our use of the candle to investigate Rabi-resonance shifts. Specifically, we find that the Rabi resonance depends on the ac Stark shift of the hyperfine transition, the microwave field-atom detuning, and the alkali-metal vapor temperature.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.62.013812

Related papers

The "atomic candle:" progress towards a smart rubidium atomic clock [and application to microwave dielectric measurements]

James C. Camparo

Just as it is possible to stabilize the frequency of an electromagnetic field to an atomic resonance between energy eigenstates, so it is possible to stabilize the intensity or brightness of a field to an atomic Rabi-resonance. We term such a device an "atomic candle." We describe the operation of a microwave atomic candle based on the 0-0 ground state hyperfine transition in /sup 87/Rb, and our experiments examining its stability and sensitivity to various experimental parameters. Specifically, we have measured the microwave power stability of our candle, relative to the peak of the Rabi-resonance, and obtained /spl sigma//sub /spl Delta/P/P/(/spl tau/)=9/spl times/10/sup -7/+10/sup -7//spl radic//spl tau/. Additionally, we examined the Rabi-resonance shift as a function of various experimental parameters including microwave detuning from the 0-0 resonance and resonance-cell temperature. The paper concludes with a discussion of a novel application of the atomic candle: the precision measurement of a material's complex dielectric constant.

Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)•Nov 8, 2002•3 citations

Atomic Stabilization of Electromagnetic Field Strength Using Rabi Resonances

James C. Camparo

For nearly fifty years, atomic resonances have been employed to stabilize electromagnetic field frequency. Here, a dynamical Rabi resonance, associated with an alkali atom's ground state hyperfine transition, is used to stabilize electromagnetic field strength: A 7% sinusoidal variation was superimposed on a microwave field's strength, and through atomic stabilization this variation was reduced to 0.1%. Although the method is demonstrated with microwave fields, the technique could also be employed to stabilize optical fields via Rabi resonances associated with electronic transitions in atoms or molecules.

Physical Review Letters•Jan 12, 1998•74 citations

Applications of the atomic candle: accessing low-frequency amplitude variations via an atomic time interval

James C. Camparo

Just as it is possible to stabilize the frequency of an electromagnetic field to an atomic resonance between energy eigenstates, so too is it possible to stabilize the amplitude (or 'brightness') of a field to atomic parametric resonances, the so-called Rabi-resonances. For ease of reference, and by analogy to the atomic clock, we have coined the term 'atomic candle' for this quantum-mechanical, amplitude-stabilization system. Though the atomic candle was originally developed to stabilize microwave power in gas-cell atomic clocks, thereby eliminating a source of timekeeping instability in these devices, the atomic candle's applications extend well beyond the area of precise timekeeping. Basically, the atomic-candle provides a means for detecting and controlling subtle amplitude changes in electromagnetic fields at very low Fourier frequencies (i.e., f < 0.1 Hz). In the present work, we discuss a number of atomic candle applications: laser stabilization, absorption/refractive-index measurements, observations of cavity mode stability over very long time scales (i.e., 50 days), and measurements of low-frequency absorption/scattering fluctuations along a propagation path.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•May 16, 2003•0 citations

Precision measurements with an atomic candle

James C. Camparo

Across a broad range of disciplines, the accurate determination of an electromagnetic wave's amplitude (either absolute or relative) has considerable relevance. Here, we demonstrate a novel and potentially very precise method for making intensity measurements based on the atomic stabilization of electromagnetic field-strength. For ease of reference, and by analogy to atomic clocks, we refer to this field-strength stabilization system as an atomic candle. While the candle's original purpose was to create a field with long-term intensity stability, its very nature makes it ideal for detecting subtle amplitude changes in strong electromagnetic fields; a problem that is fundamentally different from detecting weak signals in the presence of noise. In this work, we discuss proof-of-principle experiments demonstrating the atomic candle's ability to make precise measurements of absorption coefficients and indices of refraction.

Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)•Nov 13, 2002•0 citations

Microwave Rabi resonances beyond the small-signal regime

А. А. Третьяков, Lindsay J. LeBlanc

The coupling between microwave fields and atoms (or atomlike systems) is inherently weaker than for optical fields, making microwave signal manipulation for applications like quantum information processing technically challenging. In order to better understand this coupling and to develop tools for measuring it, we explore the microwave coupling to atoms using the ``atomic candle'' technique, and push it beyond the bounds of the small-signal regime in order to deliver a larger signal. In familiar two-level systems, responses beyond the usual Rabi oscillations can arise when a single-tone drive is phase modulated, causing the steady-state populations to oscillate at integer harmonics of the modulation frequency. Resonant behavior of the first two harmonics for frequencies near the Rabi frequency, known as $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ and $\ensuremath{\beta}$ Rabi resonances, is widely used for microwave-field magnetometry and as a power standard known as the atomic candle. Here, we explore Rabi resonances beyond the small-signal approximation and report upon experimental observations of higher-order-harmonic population response for microwave hyperfine transitions in cold $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms, which we compare to numerical simulations.

arXiv:1902.01971•Physical Review A•Apr 2, 2019•19 citations

Precision measurements of absorption and refractive-index using an atomic candle

T. Swan-Wood, John G. Coffer, James C. Camparo

Across a broad range of disciplines, the accurate determination of an electromagnetic wave's amplitude (either absolute or relative) has considerable relevance. We demonstrate a novel and potentially very precise method for making intensity measurements based on the atomic stabilization of electromagnetic field-strength. For ease of reference, and by analogy to atomic clocks, we refer to this field-strength stabilization system as an atomic candle. While the candle's original purpose was to create a field with long-term intensity stability, its very nature makes it ideal for detecting subtle amplitude changes in strong electromagnetic fields, a problem that is fundamentally different from detecting weak signals in the presence of noise. In this paper, we discuss proof-of-principle experiments demonstrating the atomic candle's ability to make precise measurements of absorption coefficients and indices of refraction.

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement•Jan 1, 2001•28 citations
Just as it is possible to stabilize the frequency of an electromagnetic field to an atomic resonance between energy eigenstates, it is possible to stabilize the intensity or brightness of a field to an atomic Rabi resonance. For ease of reference, such a stabilized field is termed an ``atomic candle.'' Here, we describe a microwave atomic candle based on the (F=2,(F=2,(F=2, mF=0){m}_{F}=0)mF​=0)--(F=1,(F=1,(F=1, mF=0){m}_{F}=0)mF​=0) ground-state hyperfine transition of 87Rb{}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb (6834.7 MHz) as observed in an optically pumped vapor. We discuss the atomic candle's operation and the intensity stability of the field it produces (relative to the Rabi-resonance peak). We then discuss our use of the candle to investigate Rabi-resonance shifts. Specifically, we find that the Rabi resonance depends on the ac Stark shift of the hyperfine transition, the microwave field-atom detuning, and the alkali-metal vapor temperature.
Just as it is possible to stabilize the frequency of an electromagnetic field to an atomic resonance between energy eigenstates, so it is possible to stabilize the intensity or brightness of a field to an atomic Rabi-resonance. We term such a device an "atomic candle." We describe the operation of a microwave atomic candle based on the 0-0 ground state hyperfine transition in /sup 87/Rb, and our experiments examining its stability and sensitivity to various experimental parameters. Specifically, we have measured the microwave power stability of our candle, relative to the peak of the Rabi-resonance, and obtained /spl sigma//sub /spl Delta/P/P/(/spl tau/)=9/spl times/10/sup -7/+10/sup -7//spl radic//spl tau/. Additionally, we examined the Rabi-resonance shift as a function of various experimental parameters including microwave detuning from the 0-0 resonance and resonance-cell temperature. The paper concludes with a discussion of a novel application of the atomic candle: the precision measurement of a material's complex dielectric constant.
For nearly fifty years, atomic resonances have been employed to stabilize electromagnetic field frequency. Here, a dynamical Rabi resonance, associated with an alkali atom's ground state hyperfine transition, is used to stabilize electromagnetic field strength: A 7% sinusoidal variation was superimposed on a microwave field's strength, and through atomic stabilization this variation was reduced to 0.1%. Although the method is demonstrated with microwave fields, the technique could also be employed to stabilize optical fields via Rabi resonances associated with electronic transitions in atoms or molecules.
Just as it is possible to stabilize the frequency of an electromagnetic field to an atomic resonance between energy eigenstates, so too is it possible to stabilize the amplitude (or 'brightness') of a field to atomic parametric resonances, the so-called Rabi-resonances. For ease of reference, and by analogy to the atomic clock, we have coined the term 'atomic candle' for this quantum-mechanical, amplitude-stabilization system. Though the atomic candle was originally developed to stabilize microwave power in gas-cell atomic clocks, thereby eliminating a source of timekeeping instability in these devices, the atomic candle's applications extend well beyond the area of precise timekeeping. Basically, the atomic-candle provides a means for detecting and controlling subtle amplitude changes in electromagnetic fields at very low Fourier frequencies (i.e., f < 0.1 Hz). In the present work, we discuss a number of atomic candle applications: laser stabilization, absorption/refractive-index measurements, observations of cavity mode stability over very long time scales (i.e., 50 days), and measurements of low-frequency absorption/scattering fluctuations along a propagation path.
Across a broad range of disciplines, the accurate determination of an electromagnetic wave's amplitude (either absolute or relative) has considerable relevance. Here, we demonstrate a novel and potentially very precise method for making intensity measurements based on the atomic stabilization of electromagnetic field-strength. For ease of reference, and by analogy to atomic clocks, we refer to this field-strength stabilization system as an atomic candle. While the candle's original purpose was to create a field with long-term intensity stability, its very nature makes it ideal for detecting subtle amplitude changes in strong electromagnetic fields; a problem that is fundamentally different from detecting weak signals in the presence of noise. In this work, we discuss proof-of-principle experiments demonstrating the atomic candle's ability to make precise measurements of absorption coefficients and indices of refraction.
The coupling between microwave fields and atoms (or atomlike systems) is inherently weaker than for optical fields, making microwave signal manipulation for applications like quantum information processing technically challenging. In order to better understand this coupling and to develop tools for measuring it, we explore the microwave coupling to atoms using the ``atomic candle'' technique, and push it beyond the bounds of the small-signal regime in order to deliver a larger signal. In familiar two-level systems, responses beyond the usual Rabi oscillations can arise when a single-tone drive is phase modulated, causing the steady-state populations to oscillate at integer harmonics of the modulation frequency. Resonant behavior of the first two harmonics for frequencies near the Rabi frequency, known as $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ and $\ensuremath{\beta}$ Rabi resonances, is widely used for microwave-field magnetometry and as a power standard known as the atomic candle. Here, we explore Rabi resonances beyond the small-signal approximation and report upon experimental observations of higher-order-harmonic population response for microwave hyperfine transitions in cold 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms, which we compare to numerical simulations.
Across a broad range of disciplines, the accurate determination of an electromagnetic wave's amplitude (either absolute or relative) has considerable relevance. We demonstrate a novel and potentially very precise method for making intensity measurements based on the atomic stabilization of electromagnetic field-strength. For ease of reference, and by analogy to atomic clocks, we refer to this field-strength stabilization system as an atomic candle. While the candle's original purpose was to create a field with long-term intensity stability, its very nature makes it ideal for detecting subtle amplitude changes in strong electromagnetic fields, a problem that is fundamentally different from detecting weak signals in the presence of noise. In this paper, we discuss proof-of-principle experiments demonstrating the atomic candle's ability to make precise measurements of absorption coefficients and indices of refraction.