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Europhysics Letters (EPL)

Light-Induced Atom Desorption

M. Meucci, E. Mariotti, Paola Bicchi, C. Marinelli, L. Moi

Published Mar 20, 1994• 99 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In the present paper we report experimental evidence of a new effect, observed for the first time by Gozzini et al. on sodium vapour, in which an important rubidium vapour density increase (larger than one order of magnitude) is observed when silane-coated cells are shined by non-resonant and weak light. The effect is due to non-thermal light-induced atom desorption. A preliminary analysis of its dependence on the light power density and on the wavelength has been carried out.

DOI
10.1209/0295-5075/25/9/001

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arXiv:0806.0663•Physical Review A•Jan 14, 2009•63 citations
In the present paper we report experimental evidence of a new effect, observed for the first time by Gozzini et al. on sodium vapour, in which an important rubidium vapour density increase (larger than one order of magnitude) is observed when silane-coated cells are shined by non-resonant and weak light. The effect is due to non-thermal light-induced atom desorption. A preliminary analysis of its dependence on the light power density and on the wavelength has been carried out.
The study of the very complicated atom-surface interaction in presence of light had an increasing momentum during these last few years. A new field has been opened by a recent experiment made by Gozzini et al.,1 where a new and interesting effect, consisting in a huge sodium desorption when a silane coated cell is illuminated at room temperature, has been observed. Similar results, still in silane coated cells, have also been obtained by Meucci et al.2 with rubidium and cesium. The effect, shortly indicated hereafter as LIAD (light-induced atom desorption), is totally different from the other processes produced by very intense laser pulses, where the main effect produced by light is a thermal one.
Huge light-induced rubidium atom desorption has been observed from porous silica samples placed inside Pyrex cells kept at room temperature. The desorption rate and the maximum vapour density change have been measured as a function of the desorbing light intensity. Their values are comparable with those recently obtained in Pyrex cells coated with organic films. A linear dependence of the desorption rate and a square-root dependence of the maximum density increase on light intensity indicate that diffusion inside the glass pores is a key mechanism. The application of this effect to develop light-controlled atomic dispensers compatible with high vacuum environment is discussed.
We present in this paper recent results on Light - Induced Atom Desorption (LIAD) in sealed and open coated cells. LIAD is defined via the description of an experiment on rubidium atoms stored in a dry - film coated cell, where a few milliwatts of even non coherent and non resonant light are able to increase the alkali atomic density for more than one order of magnitude. Modeling of the effect is given. New features become relevant in the case of LIAD in porous glasses: in fact, although the photodesorption efficiency per unit area in bare glass is much lower, photoatomic sources can be prepared, due to the huge inner surface of porous samples. We applied LIAD from organic coatings to the stabilization of alkali densities out of equilibrium: sodium case is here discussed. Finally, we report on fully original, preliminary measurements of rubidium Magneto - Optical Trap loading via LIAD from a dry - film coated cell.
Atomic-vapor density change due to light induced atomic desorption (LIAD) is studied in paraffin-coated rubidium, cesium, sodium, and potassium cells. In the present experiment, low-intensity probe light is used to obtain an absorption spectrum and measure the vapor density, while light from an argon-ion laser, array of light emitting diodes, or discharge lamp is used for desorption. Potassium is found to exhibit significantly weaker LIAD from paraffin compared to Rb and Cs, and we were unable to observe LIAD with sodium. A simple LIAD model is applied to describe the observed vapor-density dynamics, and the role of the cell's stem is explored through the use of cells with lockable stems. Stabilization of Cs vapor density above its equilibrium value over 25min25\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{min}25min is demonstrated. The results of this work could be used to assess the use of LIAD for vapor-density control in magnetometers, clocks, and gyroscopes utilizing coated cells.