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Physical Review A

State selection in a cesium beam by laser-diode optical pumping

G. Ávila, V. Giordano, V. Candelier, Emeric de Clercq, G. Théobald, P. Cérez

Published Oct 1, 1987• 100 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper the optical pumping of a cesium beam is investigated. The rate equation model is used to calculate the population difference created by laser diode(s) illuminating the beam. The finite laser and atomic linewidths are taken into account in order to analyze leakage effects on neighboring transitions. One-laser and two-laser pumping is considered and the best-suited two-laser configurations for preparing the cesium atoms in a single ${m}_{F}$=0 sublevel are specified. Experimental results on both the leakage effect and the population difference achieved agree with theoretical predictions.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.36.3719

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In this paper the optical pumping of a cesium beam is investigated. The rate equation model is used to calculate the population difference created by laser diode(s) illuminating the beam. The finite laser and atomic linewidths are taken into account in order to analyze leakage effects on neighboring transitions. One-laser and two-laser pumping is considered and the best-suited two-laser configurations for preparing the cesium atoms in a single mF{m}_{F}mF​=0 sublevel are specified. Experimental results on both the leakage effect and the population difference achieved agree with theoretical predictions.
Two-laser optical pumping schemes show great promise for atom preparation since they can act as a nearly perfect state selector. This paper presents a new theoretical model to evaluate the pumping efficiency of two-laser pumping schemes, taking into account optical, ground and excited states hyperfine and Zeeman coherences, neighboring transitions, and fluctuating laser fields. The model is used to predict the optical pumping efficiency of two lasers with Lorentzian spectral profiles on a beam of cesium atoms. The particular laser intensities and linewidths that optimize the optical pumping efficiency and rate are calculated.
This paper presents a theoretical analysis of a possible scheme to realize a strong population difference between the two ground state sub-levels F = 4, MF = 0, and F = 3, MF = 0 of caesium atom. Two laser-diode light beams, π polarized, are used to illuminate at right angle an atomic beam. The efficiency of the population difference build up is evaluated for two limiting cases according to the light spectral distribution : the monochromatic and broadband excitations. This analysis takes into account hyperfine and Zeeman structures of the energy levels. Numerical calculations show that the monochromatic excitation leads to steady state population difference close to the value obtained with a single pumping laser; however all the atoms can be brought in the upper level if the two laser lights are considered broadband and uncorrelated Guidelines are derived to obtain an efficient optically pumped caesium beam frequency standard.
Optical pumping is a technique for engineering atomic-sublevel population of desired atoms. We investigate the population evolution of Cesium atoms by employing Liouville equation. For this purpose, we apply a circularly polarized light at a frequency suitable for electronic transition from ground states to excited states and calculate the relaxation rate, repopulation, and population evolution of the Cesium Zeeman sublevels. For engineering the sublevel population after optical pumping, we employ a radiofrequency (RF) field and consider the effect of RF field in Liouville equation. With this approach, we are able to prepare desired distribution of the population in the atomic sublevels with high efficiency, which can be employed in different optical experiments.
The D1 line spectrally selective pumping process in Doppler-broadened cesium is analyzed by solving the optical Bloch equations. The process, described by a three-level model with the Λ scheme, shows that the saturation intensity of broadened atoms is three orders of magnitude larger than that of resting atoms. The |Fg = 3〉 → |Fe = 4〉 resonance pumping can result in the ground state |Fg = 4, mF = 4〉 sublevel having a maximum population of 0.157 and the population difference would be about 0.01 in two adjacent magnetic sublevels of the hyperfine (HF) state Fg = 4. To enhance the anisotropy in the ground state, we suggest employing dichromatic optical HF pumping by adding a laser to excite D1 line |Fg = 4〉 → |Fe = 3〉 transition, in which the cesium magnetometer sensitivity increases by half a magnitude and is unaffected by the nonlinear Zeeman effect even in Earth's average magnetic field.
The D1 line spectrally selective pumping process in Doppler-broadened cesium is analyzed by solving the optical Bloch equations. The process, described by a three-level model with the A scheme, shows that the saturation intensity of broadened atoms is three orders of magnitude larger than that of resting atoms. The 丨Fg = 3） →丨Fe = 4） resonance pumping can result in the ground state丨Fg = 4, mF = 4） sublevel having a maximum population of 0.157 and the population difference would be about 0.01 in two adjacent magnetic sublevels of the hyperfine （HF） state Fg = 4. To enhance the anisotropy in the ground state, we suggest employing dichromatic optical HF pumping by adding a laser to excite D1 line 丨Fg = 4） → 丨Fe = 3） transition, in which the cesium magnetometer sensitivity increases by half a magnitude and is unaffected by the nonlinear Zeeman effect even in Earth＇s average magnetic field.
We have observed a sudden reversal in the direction of population transfer between nearly degenerate Zeeman sublevels during optical pumping of the cesium 6S1/2{\mathit{S}}_{1/2}S1/2​(F=4)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}6P3/2{\mathit{P}}_{3/2}P3/2​(F'=5) cycling transition. As a result of the reversal, the number of atoms in an atomic beam, with quantum numbers 6S1/2{\mathit{S}}_{1/2}S1/2​ (F=4; mF{\mathrm{m}}_{\mathit{F}}mF​=-4), is a function of laser frequency and has a sharp dispersive shape. A rate-equation model indicates that similar dispersive shapes for the population can be expected in the optical pumping of any nondegenerate system with more than two levels, if the level spacing is much smaller than the laser linewidth.