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Applied Physics Letters

Alkali-vapor magnetic resonance driven by fictitious radiofrequency fields

E. Zhivun, Arne Wickenbrock, Brian Patton, Dmitry Budker

Published Nov 10, 2014• 34 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate an all-optical 133Cs scalar magnetometer, operating in nonzero magnetic field, in which the magnetic resonance is driven by an effective oscillating magnetic field provided by the AC Stark shift of an intensity-modulated laser beam. We achieve a projected shot-noise-limited sensitivity of 1.7fT/Hz and measure a technical noise floor of 40fT/Hz. These results are essentially identical to a coil-driven scalar magnetometer using the same setup. This all-optical scheme offers advantages over traditional coil-driven magnetometers for use in arrays and in magnetically sensitive fundamental physics experiments, e.g., searches for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron.

DOI
10.1063/1.4902028

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Alkali-vapor magnetic resonance driven by fictitious radiofrequency fields

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Vector AC Stark shift in 133Cs atomic magnetometers with antirelaraxion coated cells

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The main focus of this dissertation is investigation of vector AC Stark shifts (light shifts) in evacuated 133Cs paraffin-coated cells. Although light shifts in alkali atoms have been investigated since 1960s, the effect of laser-induced vector light shifts (VLS) in paraffin-coated cells is little explored in literature. The works considering light shift effects primarily focus on transitions relevant for atomic clocks, or magnetometers using buffer gas cells, or magnetometers using broad-spectrum alkali metal lamps. This work, on the other hand, focuses on light shifts in a setup shared by finite-field optical magnetometers that use paraffin-coated sensor cells, as well as on their impact on sensitivity and accuracy of these devices.Along with describing the light shifts, this work presents several techniques that take advantage of the VLS to improve atomic magnetometers as a tool. The proposed techniques eliminate the need for oscillating radio-frequency magnetic fields and replace them with well contained laser beams. This can benefit applications where non-magnetic sensors are needed and stray fields are highly undesirable, such as the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron.This dissertation includes two such projects, the all-optical vector magnetometer and the rf magnetometer driven by a fictitious magnetic field. In the first project a finite-field optical magnetometer, which is normally a scalar sensor, is augmented with two power-modulated orthogonal laser beams that provide the directional sensitivity. The sensor exhibits a demonstrated rms noise floor of 50 fT/√Hz in measurement of the field magnitude and 0.5 mrad/√Hz in the field direction. Elimination of technical noise would improve these sensitivities to 12 fT/√Hz and 5 μrad/√Hz, respectively. In the second project, the atomic precession in a scalar 133Cs magnetometer is driven by an effective oscillating magnetic field provided by the AC Stark shift of an intensity-modulated laser beam. The demonstrated sensitivity of this magnetometer is 40 fT/√Hz rms, which is equivalent to the conventional coil-driven scalar magnetometer we built sharing the same setup.The Appendix includes documentation on the custom-built polarimeter used in the experiments and the frequency response of the magnetic sensor head.

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Low-noise high-density alkali-metal scalar magnetometer

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We present an experimental and theoretical study of a scalar atomic magnetometer using an oscillating field-driven Zeeman resonance in a high-density optically pumped potassium vapor. We describe an experimental implementation of an atomic gradiometer with a noise level below $10\text{ }\text{fT}\text{ }{\text{Hz}}^{\ensuremath{-}1/2}$, fractional field sensitivity below ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}\text{ }{\text{Hz}}^{\ensuremath{-}1/2}$, and an active measurement volume of about $1.5\text{ }{\text{cm}}^{3}$. We show that the fundamental field sensitivity of a scalar magnetometer is determined by the rate of alkali-metal spin-exchange collisions even though the resonance linewidth can be made much smaller than the spin-exchange rate by pumping most atoms into a stretched spin state.

arXiv:physics/0611085•Physical Review A•Sep 29, 2009•140 citations
We demonstrate an all-optical 133Cs scalar magnetometer, operating in nonzero magnetic field, in which the magnetic resonance is driven by an effective oscillating magnetic field provided by the AC Stark shift of an intensity-modulated laser beam. We achieve a projected shot-noise-limited sensitivity of 1.7fT/Hz and measure a technical noise floor of 40fT/Hz. These results are essentially identical to a coil-driven scalar magnetometer using the same setup. This all-optical scheme offers advantages over traditional coil-driven magnetometers for use in arrays and in magnetically sensitive fundamental physics experiments, e.g., searches for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron.
We demonstrate an all-optical 133^{133}133Cs scalar magnetometer, operating in nonzero magnetic field,in which the magnetic resonance is driven by an effective oscillating magnetic field provided by the AC Stark shift of an intensity-modulated laser beam. We achieve a projected shot-noise-limited sensitivity of 1.7 fT/Hz1/2^{1/2}1/2 and measure a technical noise floor of 40 fT/Hz1/2^{1/2}1/2. These results are essentially identical to a coil-driven scalar magnetometer using the same setup. This all-optical scheme offers advantages over traditional coil-driven magnetometers for use in arrays and in magnetically sensitive fundamental physics experiments e.g., searches for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron.
We demonstrate an all-optical magnetometer capable of measuring the magnitude and direction of a magnetic field using nonlinear magneto-optical rotation in a cesium vapor. Vector capability is added by effective modulation of the field along orthogonal axes and subsequent demodulation of the magnetic-resonance frequency. This modulation is provided by the AC Stark shift induced by circularly polarized laser beams. The sensor exhibits a demonstrated rms noise floor of 50 fT/ √ Hz in measurement of the field magnitude and 0.5 mrad/ √ Hz in the field direction; elimination of technical noise would improve these sensitivities to 12 fT/ √ Hz and 5 μrad/ √ Hz, respectively. Applications for a precise all-optical vector magnetometer would include magnetically sensitive fundamental physics experiments, such as the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron.
We demonstrate an all-optical magnetometer capable of measuring the magnitude and direction of a magnetic field using nonlinear magneto-optical rotation in cesium vapor. Vector capability is added by effective modulation of the field along orthogonal axes and subsequent demodulation of the magnetic-resonance frequency. This modulation is provided by the ac Stark shift induced by circularly polarized laser beams. The sensor exhibits a demonstrated rms noise floor of $\ensuremath{\sim}65\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fT}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ in measurement of the field magnitude and 0.5  mrad/Hz0.5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mrad}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}0.5  mrad/Hz​ in the field direction; elimination of technical noise would improve these sensitivities to 12  fT/Hz12\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fT}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}12  fT/Hz​ and $10\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{rad}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$, respectively. Applications for this all-optical vector magnetometer would include magnetically sensitive fundamental physics experiments, such as the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron.
Atomic magnetometry was performed at Earth’s magnetic field over a free-space distance of ten meters. Two laser beams aimed at a distant alkali-vapor cell excited and detected the 87Rb magnetic resonance, allowing the magnetic field within the cell to be interrogated remotely. Operated as a driven oscillator, the magnetometer measured the geomagnetic field with ≲3.5 pT precision in a ∼2 s data acquisition; this precision was likely limited by ambient field fluctuations. The sensor was also operated in self-oscillating mode with a 5.3 pT/Hz noise floor. Further optimization will yield a high-bandwidth, fully remote magnetometer with sub-pT sensitivity.
The main focus of this dissertation is investigation of vector AC Stark shifts (light shifts) in evacuated 133Cs paraffin-coated cells. Although light shifts in alkali atoms have been investigated since 1960s, the effect of laser-induced vector light shifts (VLS) in paraffin-coated cells is little explored in literature. The works considering light shift effects primarily focus on transitions relevant for atomic clocks, or magnetometers using buffer gas cells, or magnetometers using broad-spectrum alkali metal lamps. This work, on the other hand, focuses on light shifts in a setup shared by finite-field optical magnetometers that use paraffin-coated sensor cells, as well as on their impact on sensitivity and accuracy of these devices.Along with describing the light shifts, this work presents several techniques that take advantage of the VLS to improve atomic magnetometers as a tool. The proposed techniques eliminate the need for oscillating radio-frequency magnetic fields and replace them with well contained laser beams. This can benefit applications where non-magnetic sensors are needed and stray fields are highly undesirable, such as the search for a permanent electric dipole moment of the neutron.This dissertation includes two such projects, the all-optical vector magnetometer and the rf magnetometer driven by a fictitious magnetic field. In the first project a finite-field optical magnetometer, which is normally a scalar sensor, is augmented with two power-modulated orthogonal laser beams that provide the directional sensitivity. The sensor exhibits a demonstrated rms noise floor of 50 fT/√Hz in measurement of the field magnitude and 0.5 mrad/√Hz in the field direction. Elimination of technical noise would improve these sensitivities to 12 fT/√Hz and 5 μrad/√Hz, respectively. In the second project, the atomic precession in a scalar 133Cs magnetometer is driven by an effective oscillating magnetic field provided by the AC Stark shift of an intensity-modulated laser beam. The demonstrated sensitivity of this magnetometer is 40 fT/√Hz rms, which is equivalent to the conventional coil-driven scalar magnetometer we built sharing the same setup.The Appendix includes documentation on the custom-built polarimeter used in the experiments and the frequency response of the magnetic sensor head.
We present an experimental and theoretical study of a scalar atomic magnetometer using an oscillating field-driven Zeeman resonance in a high-density optically pumped potassium vapor. We describe an experimental implementation of an atomic gradiometer with a noise level below $10\text{ }\text{fT}\text{ }{\text{Hz}}^{\ensuremath{-}1/2}$, fractional field sensitivity below ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}\text{ }{\text{Hz}}^{\ensuremath{-}1/2}$, and an active measurement volume of about 1.5 cm31.5\text{ }{\text{cm}}^{3}1.5 cm3. We show that the fundamental field sensitivity of a scalar magnetometer is determined by the rate of alkali-metal spin-exchange collisions even though the resonance linewidth can be made much smaller than the spin-exchange rate by pumping most atoms into a stretched spin state.