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Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Measurements of absolute transition probabilities in Ba ii through optical nutation

Anders Kastberg, Peter Jungner, Staffan Linnæus, Petrine Villemoes, Arne Arnesen, Filip Heijkenskjöld, Alexander Langereis

Published Aug 1, 1993• 26 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have developed a method to measure absolute transition probabilities for ions by recording optical nutation. Ions in an accelerated beam are brought into resonance with a counterpropagating laser beam by a rapid Doppler switch. From the time evolution of the population of the upper level in the resonant transition, we determine the Rabi frequency of the transition. An accurate measurement of the electric field strength then yields the transition probability. We report measurements for five transitions in Ba ii. For three of these transitions our values are more accurate than those of earlier published results.

DOI
10.1364/josab.10.001330

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We have developed a method to measure absolute transition probabilities for ions by recording optical nutation. Ions in an accelerated beam are brought into resonance with a counterpropagating laser beam by a rapid Doppler switch. From the time evolution of the population of the upper level in the resonant transition, we determine the Rabi frequency of the transition. An accurate measurement of the electric field strength then yields the transition probability. We report measurements for five transitions in Ba ii. For three of these transitions our values are more accurate than those of earlier published results.
Optical nutation in Ba ii has been studied with a rapid Doppler-shifting technique in a cw collinear fast-ion-beam--laser experiment. Time-resolved nutation curves have been recorded as a function of transition, laser irradiance, laser frequency detuning, and laser polarization. Frequency spectra recorded at different, well-specified, times of interaction between the ions and the laser field reveal several interesting effects. Among them is the pronounced influence of the postacceleration potential on the line profiles. Theoretical curves, calculated in the density-matrix formalism, reproduce all the characteristics of the experimental data. Future possibilities of this technique are discussed, e.g., the prospects of determining transition probabilities through the measurements of optical nutation.
We report the first observation of optical nutation in a collinear fast-ion-beam-laser experiment. 35-keV Ba+{\mathrm{Ba}}^{+}Ba+ ions are suddenly tuned into resonance with a strong laser field by post acceleration over a short distance. The degree of excitation as a function of time is monitored by observing the spontaneously emitted light along the ion beam. Oscillations as a function of transition, laser intensity, and laser frequency detuning have been studied. Theoretical curves have been calculated in the density-matrix formalism.
We have observed optical nutation in cold 85Rb atoms with a negligible Doppler broadening. The optical nutation of a two-level atom arranged by optical pumping has been studied as a function of detuning frequency and Rabi frequency. The change of the nutation signal caused by magnetic substate degeneracy has also been observed for σ and π excitations. This can be explained by optical nutation beatings from different transition probabilities among magnetic sublevels. Absolute transition probabilities with σ and π transitions and a branching ratio between them have been measured.
Two methods have been used to measure the oscillator strength of the transition between the ground and 17,992 cm level in XUYb. The first technique involves exciting the transition with a laser pulse that is nearly time-bandwidth limited, of uniform intensity, and has a reproducible shape from shot to shot. The population left in the excited state after the pulse varies sinusoidally with a period that depends on the integral over time of the electric field amplitude and the transition oscillator strength. These are the Rabi oscillations that are predicted by application of the Schrodinger equation to the two-level atom. The second method involves observation of the polarization rotation of a set of degenerate sublevels brought about by a light-shift laser. One sublevel (m/sub j/ = 0) of the J = 1 level at 17,992 cm is populated by a linearly polarized laser. A second copropagating light-shift laser, which is linearly polarized at an angle to the first laser, is tuned between 7.5 and 30 GHz off-resonance with the transition. The light-shift laser causes population to be promoted into the m/sub j/ = +-1 levels through the virtual J = 0, m/sub j/ = 0 level. Two linearly polarized photoionizing lasers photoionize the population only from the m/sub j/ = +-1 levels. The photoion signal oscillates cosinusoidally with a period that depends only on the integrated pulse intensity, the laser detuning, and the transition oscillator strength. Finally, polarization selectivity has been shown experimentally to allow selective photoionization of the odd isotopes of ytterbium using broadband lasers.
We developed an optical frequency standard using40Ca+with the 42S1/2-32D5/2electric quadrupole transition. Its absolute transition frequency is 411 042 129 776 390(7) Hz. The uncertainty is limited by the electric quadrupole shift and ambient magnetic field fluctuation. To determine the absolute transition frequency with a better uncertainty, we have observed two pairs of the symmetrically-splitting Zeeman components and measured the transition frequency which is corrected for the electric quadrupole shift. It will be used to determine the absolute transition frequency with respect to the SI base units of time and length. In addition, we are developing a magnetic-shielded ion-trap chamber to reduce the transition-line broadening caused by the magnetic field fluctuation.
We have used two methods to measure the oscillator strength of the transition between the ground and 17992 cm-1 level in 174Yb. The first technique involves exciting the transition with a laser pulse that is nearly time-bandwidth limited, of uniform intensity, and has a reproducible shape from shot to shot. The population left in the excited state after the pulse varies sinusoidally with a period that depends on the integral over time of the electric field amplitude and the transition oscillator strength. These are the Rabi oscillations that are predicted by application of the Schrodinger equation to the two-level atom. The excited-state population is probed using a two-step photoionization to the continuum. The electric field amplitude is determined from the temporal profile and the intensity of the laser pulse. The second method involves observation of the polarization rotation of a set of degenerate sublevels brought about by a time-bandwidth limited light-shift laser. One sublevel (mj = 0) of the J = 1 level at 17992 cm-1 is populated by a linearly polarized laser. A second copropagating light-shift laser, which is linearly polarized at an angle to the first laser, is tuned between 7.5 and 30 GHz off-resonance with the transition. The light-shift laser causes population to be promoted into the mi = ±1 levels by a virtual transition through the ground J = 0, = 0 level. Two linearly polarized photoionizing lasers photoionize the population only from the mi = ±1 levels. The photoion signal oscillates sinusoidally with a period that depends only on the integrated pulse intensity, the laser detuning, and the transition oscillator strength.