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Physical Review A

Optical pumping dynamics and near-resonance light scattering in an ultracold sample of R87b atoms

Salim Balik, Mark D. Havey, Igor M. Sokolov, Dmitriy V. Kupriyanov

Published Mar 30, 2009• 16 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report measurements of near-resonance light scattering from an ultracold sample of $^{87}\text{R}\text{b}$ atoms formed in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). Time-dependent measurements of scattering of probe radiation tuned in the vicinity of the $F=1\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=0$ hyperfine transition of the ${D}_{2}$ resonance line reveal dynamics due to Zeeman optical pumping on this transition in competition with diffusive light scattering in the optically dense sample. Zeeman mixing effects due to small residual magnetic fields also play an important role in the scattered light dynamics and reveal surprising sensitivity to the field strength. The various processes are examined as a function of probe-laser power, detuning from atomic resonance, and the presence or absence of the spatially inhomogeneous MOT quadrupole field.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.79.033418

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We report a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of near-resonance light scattering from a high-density and ultracold atomic 87{}^{87}87Rb gas. The atomic sample, having a peak density $\ensuremath{\sim}$$5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{13}$ atoms/cm3{}^{3}3, temperature $\ensuremath{\sim}$65 $\ensuremath{\mu}$K, and initially prepared in the F=1F=1F=1 lower-energy 87{}^{87}87Rb hyperfine component, is optically pumped to the higher-energy F=2F=2F=2 hyperfine level. Measurements are made of the transient hyperfine pumping process and of the time evolution of scattering of near-resonance probe radiation on the $F=2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=3$ transition. Features of the density, detuning, and temporal dependence of the signals are attributed to the high density and consequent large optical depth of the samples.
Over the past half century, atomic ensembles have been used to create sensors, clocks, and quantum information systems. As these devices become more compact, and as the number of atoms increases to improve the sensitivity for detection, the atomic samples are increasing in density and optical depth. As such, the spectroscopic properties of the atomic media are modified due to interactions among the particles in the ensemble. We report investigation of near-resonance light scattering from a cold atomic sample of 87Rb. Initially prepared in a magneto-optical trap, the atoms are loaded into a far-off-resonance optical dipole trap (FORT) in which the ensemble has a temperature near 100 mK and initial Gaussian radii of approximately 3 mm and 280 mm in the transverse and longitudinal directions, respectively. With atomic densities in the range of 1010 - 1013 atoms/cm3, measurements are made on the F=2 -> F'=3 nearly closed hyperfine transition. The experimental geometry consists of projecting a near-resonance collimated laser beam onto the entire volume of the FORT and detecting the diffusely scattered light. The measured scattered light intensity as a function of detuning, atomic number, and sample size suggests that collective light scattering depends on the optical depth of the system.
We report investigation of near-resonance light scattering from a cold and dense atomic gas of 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms. Measurements are made for probe frequencies tuned near the $F=2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=3$ nearly closed hyperfine transition, with particular attention paid to the dependence of the scattered light intensity on detuning from resonance, the number of atoms in the sample, and atomic sample size. We find that, over a wide range of experimental variables, the optical depth of the atomic sample serves as an effective single scaling parameter which describes well all the experimental data.
We report on cw measurements of probe beam absorption and four-wave-mixing spectra in a 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb magneto-optical trap taken while the trap is in operation. The trapping beams are used as pump light. We concentrate on the central feature of the spectra at small pump-probe detuning and attribute its narrow resonant structures to the superposition of Raman transitions between light-shifted sublevels of the ground atomic state and to atomic recoil processes. These two contributions have different dependencies on trap parameters and we show that the former is inhomogeneously broadened. The strong dependence of the spectra on the probe-beam polarization indicates the existence of large optical anisotropy of the cold-atom sample, which is attributed to the recoil effects. We point out that the recoil-induced resonances can be isolated from other contributions, making pump-probe spectroscopy a highly sensitive diagnostic tool for atoms in a working magneto-optical trap.
We report an experimental study of near resonance light scattering on the F=1→F′=0F = 1 \rightarrow F' = 0F=1→F′=0 component of the D2D_2D2​ line in atomic 87Rb^{87}Rb87Rb. Experiments are performed on spatially bi-Gaussian ultracold gas samples having peak densities ranging from about 5⋅1012−5⋅10135 \cdot 10^{12} - 5 \cdot 10^{13}5⋅1012−5⋅1013 atoms/cm3^{3}3 and for a range of resonance saturation parameters and detunings from atomic resonance. Time resolution of the scattered light intensity reveals dynamics of multiple light scattering, optical pumping, and saturation effects. The experimental results in steady-state are compared qualitatively with theoretical models of the light scattering process. The steady-state line shape of the excitation spectrum is in good qualitative agreement with these models.
We report on a combined experimental and theoretical study of polarization self-rotation in an ultracold atomic sample. In the experiments, a probe laser is tuned in the spectral vicinity of the D1{D}_{1}D1​ line to observe polarization self-rotation in a sample of ultracold 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb prepared in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). Systematic measurements of the rotation angle of the light-polarization ellipse as a function of laser intensity, initial ellipticity, and detuning are made. The observations, in good agreement with theoretical simulations, are indicative of the presence of a residual static magnetic field, resulting in measured asymmetries in the rotation angle for right and left ellipticities. In this paper we present our detailed experimental results and analysis of the combined influences of polarization self-rotation and the Faraday effect.