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Three-Photon Excitation of Rubidium Atoms to Rydberg States in a Room Temperature Vapor Cell

Wei Cui

Published Aug 29, 2016• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

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.

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The method of frequency stabilization of diode laser on the wavelength of 5P3/2→5D5/2 of rubidium (776 nm) has been realized. The two-photon absorption spectroscopy of the rubidium vapors is underlie of the suggested scheme. The basic parameters such as the intensity of laser radiation and concentration of the vapors have been investigated. The frequency stability of radiation was about 1 MHz

EPJ Web of Conferences•Dec 13, 2016•0 citations
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.
Three-photon laser excitation of Rydberg states by three different laser beams can be arranged in a starlike geometry that simultaneously eliminates the recoil effect and Doppler broadening. Our analytical and numerical calculations for a particular laser excitation scheme $5{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5{P}_{3/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}6{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}nP$ in Rb atoms have shown that, compared to the one- and two-photon laser excitation, this approach provides much narrower linewidth and longer coherence time for both cold atom samples and hot vapors, if the intermediate one-photon resonances of the three-photon transition are detuned by more than respective single-photon Doppler widths. This method can be used to improve fidelity of Rydberg quantum gates and precision of spectroscopic measurements in Rydberg atoms.
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.
Recently we demonstrated lasing at 420 nm and 455 nm inside of rubidium and cesium vapor cells respectively, by non-resonant, two photon absorption at near infrared pump wavelengths. Two photon absorption from the ground S1/2 state to excited D3/2,5/2 or higher lying S1/2 state via virtual states and subsequent infrared stimulated emission pumps the upper laser levels, the second excited P1/2,3/2 states. To better understand the mechanism and phenomenology of this type of laser, this paper presents a method for determining the two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-section for the 5S1/2 −→ 5D5/2 transition in naturally occurring rubidium. For an incident pump intensity of 392 W cm2 and a rubidium concentration of 3.34 × 10 atoms cm3 , a peak absorbance of 0.10 is observed. The concentration of the Rb in the test cell is determined by one photon absorption spectra of the D2, indicating a vapor curve shifted by 14 C from the exterior wall temperature. The incident laser beam is focused to a waist of 75 μm. The beam quality is consistent with an M = 1.05 − 1.09. A model for the intensity as a function of propagation distance is developed to interpret the observed absorption spectrum and determine a cross-section for the two photon absorption.
Excited state population distribution created by 5S1/2→5P3/2 laser excitation in room temperature rubidium vapor was quantitatively analyzed applying absorption and saturation spectroscopy.When the laser linewidth was much smaller than the Doppler linewidth,the absorption coefficients were measured for a series of P780 powers between 40 μW and 5mW.Population in the 5P3/2 level obtained from the saturation measurements was also determined by the absorption measurement of narrow spectral line from a Rb hollow cathode lamp.The agreement between the results obtained in these two ways is very good.It was shown that 2% of the ground state population could be transferred to the first excited state by pumping the Doppler broadened line with a single-mode narrow-band laser.