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Journal of Modern Optics

Spectroscopy of rubidium Rydberg states with three diode lasers

Pierre Thoumany, Th. Germann, Theodor W. Hänsch, Gernot Stania, Linas Urbonas, Th. Becker

Published Aug 19, 2009• 27 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper presents a new method of purely optical spectroscopy of rubidium Rydberg states in a room-temperature gas cell. The atoms are excited into the Rydberg state from the ground state with a three-step diode laser cascade setup. The excitation of Rydberg states is monitored by observing the absorption of the laser performing the first excitation step on the strong rubidium D2 line. Different polarization schemes and possible excitation geometries are discussed.

DOI
10.1080/09500340903180525

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This paper presents a new method of purely optical spectroscopy of rubidium Rydberg states in a room-temperature gas cell. The atoms are excited into the Rydberg state from the ground state with a three-step diode laser cascade setup. The excitation of Rydberg states is monitored by observing the absorption of the laser performing the first excitation step on the strong rubidium D2 line. Different polarization schemes and possible excitation geometries are discussed.
We demonstrate Doppler-free, purely optical detection of laser-excited rubidium Rydberg atoms in a room-temperature gas cell. The Rydberg atoms are excited with a frequency-doubled dye laser at 297 nm in a single-excitation step from the ground state; the detection is performed with a 780 nm diode laser in a scheme similar to electron shelving. Laser spectroscopy of Rydberg transitions is demonstrated, and a frequency-doubled dye is stabilized to one Rydberg transition in the UV. The performance of this stabilization is measured with an atomic-beam apparatus and a time of flight experiment.
This thesis presents a method for calculating the absorption of diode lasers in one-photon, two-photon and (Doppler-free) three-photon excitation configurations. The specific three-photon system studied is atomic Rb, 5s1/2 -5p3/2 - 5d5/2 -np. In principle, three-photon excitation allows for perfect compensation of the Doppler effect. The approach of the method is to construct density matrix equations and solve for the steady state density matrix elements. Solutions are obtained numerically. There is no weak intensity restriction for any laser in the excitation system, and the absorption of all the lasers in the excitation system can be evaluated. \n \nThe design and testing of a low-noise transimpedance amplifier for measuring absorption is presented.
Abstract Experiments using relatively inexpensive tunable diode lasers are used to study high-resolution absorption spectroscopy in alkali vapor. Direct absorption spectra for cesium and rubidium show adsorption profiles that are Doppler-broadened. A second experiment demonstrates saturated adsorption spectroscopy to remove Doppler broadening in atomic spectroscopy for rubidium atoms in a cell at room temperature. Lamb dips are seen in the Doppler-broadened profiles. Finally, a third experiment is described which demonstrates Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy for rubidium vapor. All of these experiments were historical stepping stones toward the creation of a Bose–Einstein condensate.
Experiments using relatively inexpensive tunable diode lasers are used to study high-resolution absorption spectroscopy in alkali vapors. Direct absorption spectra for cesium and rubidium show adsorption profiles that are Doppler-broadened. A second experiment demonstrates saturated adsorption spectroscopy to remove Doppler broadening in atomic spectroscopy for rubidium atoms in a cell at room temperature. Lamb dips are seen in the Doppler-broadened profiles. Finally a third experiment is described which demonstrate Doppler-free two photon spectroscopy for rubidium vapour. All of these experiments were historical stepping stones toward the creation of a Bose–Einstein condensate.
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.
A phenomenon observed in a simple experiment with a diode laser is found to be a basis for powerful spectroscopy. In this spectroscopy, the laser frequency is neither scanned nor modulated. High-resolution spectra in a wide ratio-frequency range, such as Zeeman and hyperfine spectra in both of the ground and the excited states, are observed simultaneously by frequency analyzing the intensity fluctuation of the light transmitted through a sample cell. Demonstrating experiments are carried out with respect to the D1{\mathit{D}}_{1}D1​ and D2{\mathit{D}}_{2}D2​ lines of Cs and Rb atoms.