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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Theory of Doppler-free spectroscopy with λ-thick vapor cells

Aleksandr N. Naumov, Alexey A Podshivalov, Konstantin N. Drabovich, Richard B. Miles, Aleksei M. Zheltikov

Published Apr 3, 2002• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A simple model of the Voigt spectral profile is employed to analyze the influence of the sizes of a vapor cell on the shape of the spectral contour of the linear susceptibility. The width of a resonant spectral line observed in transmission and absorption spectra measured with such a vapor cell is shown to tend to the natural width as one of the sizes of the vapor cell approaches the wavelength of the spectral line, thus opening the way to extend the Romer- Dicke pillbox-cavity approach to microwave spectroscopy to the optical range. The possibility of using (lambda) -thick vapor cells, as well as one- and two-dimensional photonic band-gap structures for high resolution measurements is discussed.

DOI
10.1117/12.464474

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A simple model of the Voigt spectral profile is employed to analyze the influence of the sizes of a vapor cell on the shape of the spectral contour of the linear susceptibility. The width of a resonant spectral line observed in transmission and absorption spectra measured with such a vapor cell is shown to tend to the natural width as one of the sizes of the vapor cell approaches the wavelength of the spectral line, thus opening the way to extend the Romer- Dicke pillbox-cavity approach to microwave spectroscopy to the optical range. The possibility of using (lambda) -thick vapor cells, as well as one- and two-dimensional photonic band-gap structures for high resolution measurements is discussed.
We compare the behavior of absorption and of resonance fluorescence spectra in an extremely thin Rb vapor cell as a function of the ratio of $L∕\ensuremath{\lambda}$, with LLL the cell thickness $(L\ensuremath{\sim}150--1800\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm})$ and $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ the wavelength of the Rb D2{D}_{2}D2​ line $(\ensuremath{\lambda}=780\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mn})$. The Dicke-type coherent narrowing [G. Dutier et al., Europhys. Lett. 63, 35 (2003)] is observed only in transmission measurements, in the linear regime, with its typical collapse and revival, which reaches a maximum for $L=(2n+1)\ensuremath{\lambda}∕2$ (nnn integer). It is shown not to appear in fluorescence, whose behavior-amplitude, and spectral width, is more monotonic with LLL. Conversely, at high-intensity, the sub-Doppler saturation effects are shown to be the most visible in transmission around $L=n\ensuremath{\lambda}$.
In a thin cell of dilute vapour, the absorption spectrum exhibits sub-Doppler features due to the relative enhancement of the slow atom contribution, with respect to the transient nature of the interaction with moving atoms. For a two-level system in the linear regime, the narrowest response is predicted to be found for a λ/2 thickness, as an effect of the coherent character of the dipole response as early described by Romer and Dicke ( Phys. Rev. , 99 (1955) 532) in the microwave regime. We report here on the direct observation of this effect in the optical regime in an ultra-thin vapour cell. This effect is shown to vanish for a thickness equal to λ, and a revival is observed at 3λ/2, as expected from the predicted λ-periodicity. The experiment is performed on the D 1 resonance line of Cs vapour (λ = 894 nm), in a specially designed cell, whose thickness varies locally.
The principle of coherent Dicke narrowing in a thin vapor cell, in which sub-Doppler spectral line shapes are observed under a normal irradiation for a $\ensuremath{\lambda}∕2$ thickness, is generalized to two-photon spectroscopy. Only the sum of the two wave vectors must be normal to the cell, making the two-photon scheme highly versatile. A comparison is provided between the Dicke narrowing with copropagating fields, and the residual Doppler broadening occurring with counterpropagating geometries. The experimental feasibility is discussed on the basis of a first observation of a two-photon resonance in a 300-nm-thick Cs cell. Extension to the Raman situation is finally considered.
The features of resonance fluorescence and absorption of resonance laser radiation in atomic vapors in a superthin cell with thickness L of the order of a wavelength lambda are investigated theoretically. Taking into account the Fabry-Perot interference effect, it is found that the dependence of the fluorescence and absorption spectra on the ratio L/lambda is substantially different. Coherent spectral narrowing - the Dicke effect - when L=(2n+1)lambda/2 and broadening of the spectral line when L = n lambda (n is a whole number) are observed in the absorption spectra. This effect is absent in the spector of resonance fluorescence in extended media. It is also shown that the processes of saturation and optical pumping significantly alter the spectral line shape as the laser intensity increases; in particular, additional sub-Doppler dips appear at the frequency of the atomic transitions. Calculated curves are given for the D2 lines of ^85Rb atoms. © 2004 Optical Society of America
We experimentally demonstrate two methods that improve the resolution of sub-Doppler spectroscopy using a 1 mm thick vapor cell. The linewidths of the observed spectra are approximately 1 order of magnitude narrower than the Doppler width. The first method involves using a 1 mm thick cell filled with Rb atomic vapor and two spatially separated laser beams. By employing the same principle, we also demonstrate that it is possible to achieve the same resolution by using the pump and probe pulses of a single beam. The latter method enables us to construct a simple and robust optical setup for sub-Doppler spectroscopy.
The saturation behavior of absorption and fluorescence spectra on the D2 line of Cs is presented, demonstrating a significant difference between open and closed transitions. Cs vapor is confined in an extremely thin cell (ETC) with widely tunable thickness L=(0.5-3)λ, where λ is the light wavelength. In the saturation regime, the closed transition demonstrates enhanced absorption in a narrow spectral interval due to the Dicke effect, while the open one demonstrates only a velocity-selective dip in the absorption. The fluorescence of open transitions shows reduced fluorescence dips, enhancing their contrast with ETC thickness. The closed transition exhibits only a small plateau around the optical transition center. Applying two-level theoretical modeling based on optical Bloch equations, a qualitative agreement with experimental observations is achieved. The rate of contrast enhancement with cell thickness is larger for the theoretical than for the experimental dips. In addition, for the closed transition a tiny peak in the fluorescence is theoretically predicted, with the first experimental confirmation presented. The sub-Doppler spectra of vapor layers with a thickness of several light wavelengths show potential for realization of precise frequency references and photonics sensors.