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Physical Review Letters

Optically induced coherence transfer echoes between Zeeman substates

Dieter Suter, Martin Rosatzin, J. Mlynek

Published Jul 1, 1991• 14 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report on optically induced spin-echo phenomena associated with Zeeman coherences in a sublevel manifold. The experiments on the ground state of sodium show multiple echoes occurring periodically after a double-pulse excitation sequence in an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The echo formation mechanism is attributed to a light-shift-induced transfer of sublevel coherence among the nondegenerate substates. This mechanism is verified experimentally, using a modulated excitation scheme with subsequent phase-sensitive detection.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.67.34

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Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Mar 1, 1992•5 citations
We report on optically induced spin-echo phenomena associated with Zeeman coherences in a sublevel manifold. The experiments on the ground state of sodium show multiple echoes occurring periodically after a double-pulse excitation sequence in an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The echo formation mechanism is attributed to a light-shift-induced transfer of sublevel coherence among the nondegenerate substates. This mechanism is verified experimentally, using a modulated excitation scheme with subsequent phase-sensitive detection.
We report on a spin-echo phenomenon that is induced between Zeeman sublevels by two laser pulses close to an optical resonance. The echo formation is due to a Zeeman light shift during the second off-resonant pulse; this light pulse creates a fictitious magnetic field that leads to the phase reversal of the spins. Our experimental results on the 2^{2}2S1/2{\mathit{S}}_{1/2}S1/2​ sodium ground state are in good qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions.
We report detailed studies of freely evolving Zeeman coherence (Zeeman quantum beats) observed after optically pumping a gas of Na atoms and suddenly turning off the light field. This Zeeman coherence corresponds to a macroscopic magnetization that precesses in an external magnetic field; it is detected with a cw optical probe beam by using polarization-selective detection of the transmitted light. The amplitude and the phase of the signal show a pronounced variation with laser intensity, laser detuning, and the strength of the magnetic field. This dependence was measured on the 3s2S1/2 ground state of sodium, using the D1 line for optical excitation and detection. The experimental data are compared with theoretical predictions based on a Bloch-type equation of motion for an optically driven spin system in a J = 1/2 ground state.
We report on a new type of sublevel echoes, synchronized-quantum-beat (SQB) echoes, generated by a successive application of two resonant light-pulse trains. The echoes are selectively generated for a sublevel pair whose frequency splitting is equal to an integral multiple of the repetition frequency of the light pulses. By using mode locked laser pulses tuned to the D(1) transition, we observed SQB echoes (and free induction decay) for all Zeeman and hyperfine transitions in the ground state of sodium atoms in low magnetic fields.
Optically induced Zeeman coherences between various pairs of sublevels in the ground state 4 A 2 of a sample ruby (0.05 wt.%) were observed at room temperature by using impact excitation with circularly polarized resonant light pulses from a mode-locked ruby laser. The precessing magnetization associated with Zeeman coherence was detected magnetically in UHF, VHF and X-band microwave regions. The observed signals can be regarded as various types of ESR free induction decay signals and the decay times were of the order of nanosecond. Sustained precession signals were also observed. Characteristics of the signals were explained by numerical solutions of the Liouville equation.
Specific types of atomic coherences between Zeeman sublevels can be generated and detected using a method based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with frequency-modulated light. Linearly polarized, frequency-modulated light is employed to selectively generate ground-state coherences between Zeeman sublevels for which $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}m=2$ and $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}m=4$ in 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb and 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms, and additionally $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}m=6$ in 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb. The atomic coherences are detected with a separate, unmodulated probe light beam. Separation of the pump and probe beams enables independent investigation of the processes of creation and detection of the atomic coherences. With the present technique the transfer of the Zeeman coherences, including high-order coherences, from excited to ground state by spontaneous emission has been observed.
We develop a new theoretical treatment that can explain, for the first time to our knowledge, unexpectedly strong synchronized-quantum-beat-echo (SQBE) signals that we previously observed in the ground state of sodium atoms. The SQBE is obtained by successive application of two light-pulse trains tuned to an optical transition under the condition that the pulse repetition frequency or that of one of its harmonics is equal to the separation of a ground-state sublevel pair. The theory is developed for weak optical pumping for which the duration of the light-pulse trains is much longer than the spontaneous decay time of the excited state. We show that the echo is formed effectively as a result of nonuniform depopulation from the sublevel pair to the other levels because of frequency-selective optical pumping during the rapid spontaneous decay of the excited state. Details of the experiment with sodium atoms are described also.