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Journal of Contemporary Physics (Armenian Academy of Sciences)

Optical magnetometer with submicron spatial resolution based on Rb vapors

G. Hakhumyan

Published May 4, 2012• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

It is shown experimentally that use of fluorescence and transmission spectra obtained from nanocells with the thickness of column of rubidium atomic vapor L = λ/2 and L = λ, respectively (λ = 794 nm is the wavelength of laser radiation close to resonance with D 1-line transition of Rb atoms), by means of a narrowband diode laser allows spectral separation and study of variations of probabilities of atomic transitions between ground and excited states of hfs of D 1 lines of 85Rb and 87Rb atoms in the range of magnetic fields from 10 to 5000 G. Small thickness of atomic vapor column (∼390 nm and ∼794 nm) allows applying permanent magnets simplifying essentially creation of strong magnetic fields. Advantages of this technique are discussed as compared with the technique of saturated absorption. The obtained results show that a nanocell with submicrom thickness of vapor column may serve as a basis for designing a magnetometer with submicron local spatial resolution which is important in case of measuring strongly inhomogeneous magnetic fields. Experimental data are in good agreement with the theoretical results.

DOI
10.3103/s1068337212030024

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Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jan 1, 2005•25 citations
It is shown experimentally that use of fluorescence and transmission spectra obtained from nanocells with the thickness of column of rubidium atomic vapor L = λ/2 and L = λ, respectively (λ = 794 nm is the wavelength of laser radiation close to resonance with D 1-line transition of Rb atoms), by means of a narrowband diode laser allows spectral separation and study of variations of probabilities of atomic transitions between ground and excited states of hfs of D 1 lines of 85Rb and 87Rb atoms in the range of magnetic fields from 10 to 5000 G. Small thickness of atomic vapor column (∼390 nm and ∼794 nm) allows applying permanent magnets simplifying essentially creation of strong magnetic fields. Advantages of this technique are discussed as compared with the technique of saturated absorption. The obtained results show that a nanocell with submicrom thickness of vapor column may serve as a basis for designing a magnetometer with submicron local spatial resolution which is important in case of measuring strongly inhomogeneous magnetic fields. Experimental data are in good agreement with the theoretical results.
It has been experimentally demonstrated that the use of the effect of significant narrowing of the fluorescence spectrum from a nanocell that contains a column of atomic Rb vapor with a thickness of L = 0.5λ (where λ = 794 nm is the wavelength of laser radiation, whose frequency is resonant with the atomic transition of the D 1 line of Rb) and the application of narrowband diode lasers allow the spectral separation and investigation of changes in probabilities of optical atomic transitions between levels of the hyperfine structure of the D 1 line of 87Rb and 85Rb atoms in external magnetic fields of 10–2500 Gs (for example, for one of transitions, the probability increases ∼17 times). Small column thicknesses (∼390 nm) allow the application of permanent magnets, which facilitates significantly the creation of strong magnetic fields. Experimental results are in a good agreement with the theoretical values. The advantages of this method over other existing methods are noted. The results obtained show that a magnetometer with a local spatial resolution of ∼390 nm can be created based on a nanocell with the column thickness L = 0.5λ. This result is important for mapping strongly inhomogeneous magnetic fields.
An extremely thin cell with a wedge gap was developed that makes it possible to form a column of Rb atom vapor with thickness in the range from 100 to 600 nm. It is experimentally shown that the use of this cell, along with commercially available diode lasers, allows one to spectrally resolve individual transitions between the Zeeman sublevels of the hyperfine structure of the 87Rb D 1 line (transitions F g =1, 2→F e =1, 2) in the resonance fluorescence spectrum in the presence of an external magnetic field (B≈200 G). This makes it possible to realize systems consisting of nondegenerate atomic levels. For comparison, it is shown that transitions between the Zeeman sublevels in the fluorescence spectrum obtained with the aid of a conventional cell (1–10 cm long) in an external magnetic field with B∼200 G remain completely masked by the Doppler-broadened profile. The results obtained can be used for the creation of a simple magnetometer based on an extremely thin cell with Rb vapor for the measurement of magnetic fields with a submicron local spatial resolution.
We propose a technique which we call “ L = λ Zeeman technique” (LZT) for investigation of the transitions between the Zeeman sublevels of the hfs structure of alkali metal atoms in external magnetic fields. The technique is based on the employment of a nanocell with the thickness of the Rb atom vapor column equal to the wavelength of the laser radiation, 780 nm, resonant with the atomic rubidium D 2 transition. At the laser intensities of about 1 mW/cm 2 in the transmission spectrum of the nanocell narrow (∼ 30 MHz) resonant peaks of reduced absorption appear localized exactly on the atomic transitions. In magnetic fields these peaks are split and their amplitudes and frequency positions depend on the magnetic field strength. The theoretical model well describes the experimental results.
Using the spectrum of selective reflection (SR) of laser radiation from the boundary of the surface of the dielectric window of the spectroscopic nanocells – pairs of rubidium atoms, the value of the magnetic field applied to the nanocell is measured. A method is proposed for calculating the magnetic induction B in the range of 0.1–6.0 kG based on the ratio of the frequency intervals between atomic transitions, which greatly simplifies the determination of B, particularly, there is no need for a reference spectrum at B = 0. To implement the SR process a 300-nm column of vapors of Rb atoms is used, and atomic transitions with a sub- Doppler spectral width of 80–90 MHz are formed. This leads to frequency separation of transitions in SR spectrum that is important for the proposed method. SR spectrum can be analyzed using a specially designed computer program that accelerates the data processing. The small thickness of the vapor column allows high spatial resolution, which is important in the case of inhomogeneous magnetic fields.
The energy levels of atoms placed in an external magnetic field undergo frequency shifts and changes in their transition probabilities. It is demonstrated that using fluorescence spectra from a submicron thin vapour cell (STC) with the thickness L = λ/2, it is possible to efficiently study the above mentioned changes (“half-λ Zeeman technique” (HLZT)). The circularly polarized beam of extended-cavity diode laser (λ = 794 nm, laser bandwidth γL < 1 MHz) resonant with 87Rb D1 transition, after passing through Faraday isolator is directed onto the Rb STC with the thickness L = λ/2. The temperature of the STC is 120 °C, corresponding to N ~ 1013 atom/cm3. STC was provided by a special oven with 3 openings: 2 inlets for laser beam passage, and one orthogonal inlet for side fluorescence detection. This geometry allows simultaneous recording of fluorescence and transmission spectra. STC with the oven is placed between two strong permanent ring magnets and by changing the distance between them it is possible to form a strong magnetic field up to 4500 G. In [1], “λ-Zeeman technique” (LZT) is shown to be efficient to study individual transitions between the Zeeman sublevels of hyperfine levels in an external magnetic field up to 2400 G. LZT uses STC with thickness L = λ, where λ is 794 nm (780 nm) for D1 line (D2 line) of Rb. Narrow velocity selective optical pumping/saturation (VSOP) resonances in the transmission spectrum of the STC are split into several components in the magnetic field; their frequency positions and probabilities depend on the B-field. We present comparison of HLZT and LZT in a wide region of magnetic fields up to 4500 G. We present the fluorescence spectrum for L = λ/2 and the transmission spectrum for L = λ. The VSOP resonances in the LZT-curve are narrower meanwhile the advantage of HLZT is that the fluorescence appears on a flat background. Applications such as magnetometer with high spatial resolution and the theoretical model describing well the experiment will be presented.
It is experimentally demonstrated that use of an extremely thin cell (ETC) with the thickness of a Rb atomic vapor column of ∼400 nm allows one to resolve a large number of individual transitions between Zeeman sublevels of the D1 line of 87Rb and 85Rb in the sub-Doppler fluorescence excitation spectra in an external magnetic field of ∼200 G. It is revealed that due to the peculiarities of the Zeeman effect for different hyperfine levels of Rb, all allowed transitions between magnetic sublevels can be clearly resolved for 87RbF_g = 1 --> F_e = 1, 2 and F_g = 2 --> F_e = 1, 2 fluorescence excitation. Also, relatively good spectral resolution can be achieved for 85RbF_g = 2 --> F_e = 2, 3 fluorescence excitation. Some partial resolution of transitions between magnetic sublevels is achieved for 85RbF_g = 3 --> F_e = 2, 3 fluorescence excitation. The spectral resolution of individual transitions allows one to easily observe both linear and nonlinear Zeeman effects in the fluorescence excitation spectra obtained with the help of the ETC. In the fluorescence spectra of a cell of usual length there is no evidence of a spectral resolution of individual transitions at B ∼ 200 G. A simple magnetometer based on ETC with Rb with a submicrometer spatial resolution is described.