Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Journal of the Optical Society of America

Optical Study of the Hyperfine Structure of the Rubidium Resonance Lines*

James R. Beacham, Kenneth L. Andrew

Published Feb 1, 1971• 41 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have developed a rubidium atomic-beam light source that emits Rb lines with a Doppler width of only 0.0015 cm−1. When the light from this source was measured with a scanning Fabry–Perot interferometer and the data were reduced by digital computer utilizing numerical deconvolution techniques, we were able to determine a hyperfine level splitting in natural rubidium as small as 0.0014 cm−1 with an uncertainty of 0.0001 cm−1. We have measured the relative intensities and positions of 19 of the 20 hfs components of the two resonance lines, 7800 and 7974 Å, of natural Rb. From these data, we calculate isotope shifts σ87−σ85 = 0.00268 cm−1 for 52P32 and σ87′−σ85′ = 0.00259 cm−1 for 52P12.

DOI
10.1364/josa.61.000231

Related papers

Measuring the Hyperfine Splittings of Lowest Energy Atomic Transitions in Rubidium

Benjamin Graber

The goal of this experiment was to measure the hyperfine energy splittings of the ground to first excited state transitions in rubidium using saturated absorption spectroscopy. Using this technique, we measured these transition energy spectra by taking the difference of two photodiode outputs due to multiple beams of a single laser scanned over a range of frequencies and shone through a cell of Rb vapor. When the laser frequency was resonant with an atomic transition, photons of those frequencies were absorbed, leaving a dip in intensity of the beam measured at the photodiode. One of the two laser beams had its excitations saturated by a more intense, counter-propagating pump beam from the same laser. The pump beam saturated the absorption of the velocity equal zero atoms that the counter-propagating probe beam could have also interacted with due to no Doppler shift. At these frequencies the probe beam experienced less absorption that was measured by a photodiode. The photodiode output was calibrated to the change in frequency of the scanned laser using a Fabry-Pérot interferometer. The output of this interferometer served as a reference for how the laser frequency changed. Final results for the 87Rb F=1 spectrum accounted for the largest error with a maximum of 12.2% deviation from accepted energy spacing values due in part to systematic error. Other spectra measurements were in better agreement, possessing error ranging from 2.1% to 10.1% and some agreeing with accepted values to within our uncertainty.

•Jan 1, 2015•0 citations

Absolute hyperfine energy levels and isotope shift of Rb 5S–6S two-photon transition

Seth Orson, Carson McLaughlin, M. D. Lindsay +1 more

Abstract Using a Rb cell and a wavemeter, with a Doppler-free two-photon transition near 993 nm, we have measured the four hyperfine components (two isotopes, Δ F = 0) of the 5S–6S transition, finding the absolute energies of those transitions to a spectral resolution of 0.002 cm −1 = 60 MHz. We find the (87 minus 85) isotope shift of the 5S–6S transition to be +94(12) MHz. Using our single frequency cw laser with focused intensity up to 10 4 W cm −2 at the cell, we find no AC Stark or light shift of the lines at 6 MHz spectral resolution. We find no density shift of the lines at 6 MHz spectral resolution, for a range of Rb atom densities from 3 × 10 11 to 5 × 10 13 atoms/cm 3 .

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Sep 8, 2021•4 citations

Laser Spectroscopic Measurement of the ^87Rb–^85Rb D_1-Line Isotope Shift

Hyatt M. Gibbs, George C. Churchill

High-resolution (few MHz) absorption spectroscopy was demonstrated by using an atomic beam and a laser. The Doppler absorption width of natural-abundance Rb was reduced from ≈570 to 15 MHz (5.7-MHz natural width) by using an atomic beam. A magnetic field of about 75 kOe was used to scan the six 85Rb and four 87Rb mI components of the D1 line ( 52S12 to 52P12; 7947.64 Å in zero field) into coincidence with the 7944.66-Å 1-μs 202Hg ii laser pulses. From the known ground- and excited-state hyperfine constants and the Breit–Rabi formula, we conclude that the 87Rb absorption spectrum is shifted up by 77±3 MHz relative to that of 85Rb. This uncorrected isotope shift can be compared with previous measurements of 105±15 and 77.7±2.1 MHz. Improved stability and a narrower atomic beam would permit reduction of the isotope-shift and hyperfine-constant errors to below 1 MHz.

Journal of the Optical Society of America•Oct 1, 1972•13 citations

Light guiding light: nonlinear refraction in rubidium vapour

J.A. Andersen, M. E. J. Friese, Z. Ficek +4 more

Summary form only given. We have extended previous theory to account for the hyperfine structure of the rubidium D lines, the presence of both major isotopes of rubidium and the possibility of tuning both the probe and the pump relative to their respective lines. To do this, we have developed a master equation, this time for the five (rather than three) atomic energy levels of both major isotopes of rubidium, which we can solve for a steady state, accounting for Doppler shifts.

Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference•Nov 13, 2002•0 citations

Comparison of absorption, fluorescence, and polarization spectroscopy of atomic rubidium

Seth Ashman, C. Stifler, Joaquín Romero

An ongoing spectroscopic investigation of atomic rubidium utilizes a two-photon, single-laser excitation process. Transitions accessible with our tunable laser include 5P1/2 (F ′ ) ← 5S1/2 (F) and 5P3/2 (F ′ ) ← 5S1/2 (F). The laser is split into a pump and probe beam to allow for Doppler-free measurements of transitions between hyperfine levels. The pump and probe beams are overlapped in a counter-propagating geometry and the laser frequency scans over a transition. Absorption, fluorescence and polarization spectroscopy techniques are applied to this basic experimental setup. The temperature of the vapor cell and the power of the pump and probe beams have been varied to explore line broadening effects and signal-to-noise of each technique. This humble setup will hopefully grow into a more robust experimental arrangement in which double resonance, two-laser excitations are used to explore hyperfine state changing collisions between rubidium atoms and noble gas atoms. Rb-noble gas collisions can transfer population between hyperfine levels, such as 5P3/2 (F ′ = 3) Collision ←− 5P3/2 (F ′ = 2), and the probe beam couples 7S1/2 (F ′′ = 2) ← 5P3/2 (F ′ = 3). Polarization spectroscopy signal depends on the rate of population transfer due to the collision as well as maintaining the orientation created by the pump laser. Fluorescence spectroscopy relies only on transfer of population due to the collision. Comparison of these techniques yields information regarding the change of the magnetic sublevels, mF , during hyperfine state changing collisions.

Bulletin of the American Physical Society•Jun 11, 2015•0 citations

Single-Photon-Level Sub-Doppler Pump-Probe Spectroscopy of Rubidium

Paul Burdekin, Samuele Grandi, Rielly Newbold +3 more

We propose and demonstrate pump-probe spectroscopy of rubidium absorption that reveals the sub-Doppler hyperfine structure of the ${}^{5}{\mathrm{S}}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}{}^{5}{\mathrm{P}}_{3/2}$ (${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$) transitions. The counterpropagating pump and probe lasers are independently tunable in frequency, with the probe operating at the single-photon level. The two-dimensional spectrum measured as the laser frequencies are scanned shows fluorescence, Doppler-broadened absorption dips, and sub-Doppler features. The detuning between the pump and probe lasers allows compensation of the Doppler shift for all atomic velocities in the room-temperature vapor, meaning we observe sub-Doppler features for all atoms in the beam. We detail a theoretical model of the system that incorporates fluorescence, saturation effects, and optical pumping and compare this with the measured spectrum, finding a mean absolute percentage error of 3.11%. This high level of agreement allows us to extract the number density and temperature of the $\mathrm{Rb}$ vapor from the two-dimensional spectrum. In the future this technique could be used as an atomic frequency standard for calibrating and characterising a single-photon or low-light-level source.

arXiv:2007.08452•Physical Review Applied•Oct 23, 2020•9 citations
We have developed a rubidium atomic-beam light source that emits Rb lines with a Doppler width of only 0.0015 cm−1. When the light from this source was measured with a scanning Fabry–Perot interferometer and the data were reduced by digital computer utilizing numerical deconvolution techniques, we were able to determine a hyperfine level splitting in natural rubidium as small as 0.0014 cm−1 with an uncertainty of 0.0001 cm−1. We have measured the relative intensities and positions of 19 of the 20 hfs components of the two resonance lines, 7800 and 7974 Å, of natural Rb. From these data, we calculate isotope shifts σ87−σ85 = 0.00268 cm−1 for 52P32 and σ87′−σ85′ = 0.00259 cm−1 for 52P12.
The goal of this experiment was to measure the hyperfine energy splittings of the ground to first excited state transitions in rubidium using saturated absorption spectroscopy. Using this technique, we measured these transition energy spectra by taking the difference of two photodiode outputs due to multiple beams of a single laser scanned over a range of frequencies and shone through a cell of Rb vapor. When the laser frequency was resonant with an atomic transition, photons of those frequencies were absorbed, leaving a dip in intensity of the beam measured at the photodiode. One of the two laser beams had its excitations saturated by a more intense, counter-propagating pump beam from the same laser. The pump beam saturated the absorption of the velocity equal zero atoms that the counter-propagating probe beam could have also interacted with due to no Doppler shift. At these frequencies the probe beam experienced less absorption that was measured by a photodiode. The photodiode output was calibrated to the change in frequency of the scanned laser using a Fabry-Pérot interferometer. The output of this interferometer served as a reference for how the laser frequency changed. Final results for the 87Rb F=1 spectrum accounted for the largest error with a maximum of 12.2% deviation from accepted energy spacing values due in part to systematic error. Other spectra measurements were in better agreement, possessing error ranging from 2.1% to 10.1% and some agreeing with accepted values to within our uncertainty.
Abstract Using a Rb cell and a wavemeter, with a Doppler-free two-photon transition near 993 nm, we have measured the four hyperfine components (two isotopes, Δ F = 0) of the 5S–6S transition, finding the absolute energies of those transitions to a spectral resolution of 0.002 cm −1 = 60 MHz. We find the (87 minus 85) isotope shift of the 5S–6S transition to be +94(12) MHz. Using our single frequency cw laser with focused intensity up to 10 4 W cm −2 at the cell, we find no AC Stark or light shift of the lines at 6 MHz spectral resolution. We find no density shift of the lines at 6 MHz spectral resolution, for a range of Rb atom densities from 3 × 10 11 to 5 × 10 13 atoms/cm 3 .
High-resolution (few MHz) absorption spectroscopy was demonstrated by using an atomic beam and a laser. The Doppler absorption width of natural-abundance Rb was reduced from ≈570 to 15 MHz (5.7-MHz natural width) by using an atomic beam. A magnetic field of about 75 kOe was used to scan the six 85Rb and four 87Rb mI components of the D1 line ( 52S12 to 52P12; 7947.64 Å in zero field) into coincidence with the 7944.66-Å 1-μs 202Hg ii laser pulses. From the known ground- and excited-state hyperfine constants and the Breit–Rabi formula, we conclude that the 87Rb absorption spectrum is shifted up by 77±3 MHz relative to that of 85Rb. This uncorrected isotope shift can be compared with previous measurements of 105±15 and 77.7±2.1 MHz. Improved stability and a narrower atomic beam would permit reduction of the isotope-shift and hyperfine-constant errors to below 1 MHz.
An ongoing spectroscopic investigation of atomic rubidium utilizes a two-photon, single-laser excitation process. Transitions accessible with our tunable laser include 5P1/2 (F ′ ) ← 5S1/2 (F) and 5P3/2 (F ′ ) ← 5S1/2 (F). The laser is split into a pump and probe beam to allow for Doppler-free measurements of transitions between hyperfine levels. The pump and probe beams are overlapped in a counter-propagating geometry and the laser frequency scans over a transition. Absorption, fluorescence and polarization spectroscopy techniques are applied to this basic experimental setup. The temperature of the vapor cell and the power of the pump and probe beams have been varied to explore line broadening effects and signal-to-noise of each technique. This humble setup will hopefully grow into a more robust experimental arrangement in which double resonance, two-laser excitations are used to explore hyperfine state changing collisions between rubidium atoms and noble gas atoms. Rb-noble gas collisions can transfer population between hyperfine levels, such as 5P3/2 (F ′ = 3) Collision ←− 5P3/2 (F ′ = 2), and the probe beam couples 7S1/2 (F ′′ = 2) ← 5P3/2 (F ′ = 3). Polarization spectroscopy signal depends on the rate of population transfer due to the collision as well as maintaining the orientation created by the pump laser. Fluorescence spectroscopy relies only on transfer of population due to the collision. Comparison of these techniques yields information regarding the change of the magnetic sublevels, mF , during hyperfine state changing collisions.
We propose and demonstrate pump-probe spectroscopy of rubidium absorption that reveals the sub-Doppler hyperfine structure of the ${}^{5}{\mathrm{S}}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}{}^{5}{\mathrm{P}}_{3/2}$ (D2{\mathrm{D}}_{2}D2​) transitions. The counterpropagating pump and probe lasers are independently tunable in frequency, with the probe operating at the single-photon level. The two-dimensional spectrum measured as the laser frequencies are scanned shows fluorescence, Doppler-broadened absorption dips, and sub-Doppler features. The detuning between the pump and probe lasers allows compensation of the Doppler shift for all atomic velocities in the room-temperature vapor, meaning we observe sub-Doppler features for all atoms in the beam. We detail a theoretical model of the system that incorporates fluorescence, saturation effects, and optical pumping and compare this with the measured spectrum, finding a mean absolute percentage error of 3.11%. This high level of agreement allows us to extract the number density and temperature of the Rb\mathrm{Rb}Rb vapor from the two-dimensional spectrum. In the future this technique could be used as an atomic frequency standard for calibrating and characterising a single-photon or low-light-level source.