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Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)

Ultrahigh-contrast saturated-absorption resonance to enhance stability of CPT atom clocks

Denis V. Brazhnikov, Moustafa Abdel Hafiz, Grégoire Coget, A. V. Taǐchenachev, Valeriy I. Yudin, Emeric de Clercq, Rodolphe Boudot

Published Jul 1, 2017• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The results of detailed experimental and theoretical investigations of new nonlinear effect in the field of saturated-absorption spectroscopy of atom vapours are presented. The effect consists in observation of a high-contrast natural-linewidth absorption spike when133Cs atoms are being irradiated by the bichromatic counterpropagating laser beams. The results obtained can be useful in various fields of modern laser physics and applications where saturated-absorption resonances are used. For instance, the effect has been already implemented in the coherent-population-trapping atom clocks to enhance stabilization of optical frequencies and to improve stability of the clocks on the whole.

DOI
10.1109/fcs.2017.8088867

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•Dec 11, 2013•0 citations
The results of detailed experimental and theoretical investigations of new nonlinear effect in the field of saturated-absorption spectroscopy of atom vapours are presented. The effect consists in observation of a high-contrast natural-linewidth absorption spike when133Cs atoms are being irradiated by the bichromatic counterpropagating laser beams. The results obtained can be useful in various fields of modern laser physics and applications where saturated-absorption resonances are used. For instance, the effect has been already implemented in the coherent-population-trapping atom clocks to enhance stabilization of optical frequencies and to improve stability of the clocks on the whole.
Recently, the new bright feature of Doppler-free resonance in a cesium vapor cell under the twofrequency counterpropagating light waves has been observed [1] (see Fig.1). It consists in observation of a natural-linewidth nonlinear resonance with very high contrast. In spite of this effect is becoming very useful tool for laser frequency stabilization in CPT atom clocks [2, 3], it has not been understood and studied well enough. Here we focus on the detailed experimental as well as theoretical study of the new effect. Three physical reasons have been revealed that can result in observation of enhanced absorption at the center of the resonance. Moreover, simultaneous and constructive action of thesereasons can greatly increase amplitude of the nonlinear resonance, which can be two times bigger than a wide Doppler background. Theory is based on a well-known -scheme of atomic energy levels. The scheme has provided us with very clear physical interpretation of the effect. The real structure of atomic energy levels with taking into account all magnetic sublevels has been also considered.
We have detected and analysed interesting features of sub-Doppler resonances, which are induced in absorption of the weak monochromatic probe light beam (with the scanned frequency) by the counterpropagating two-frequency pumping radiation implementing the phenomenon of the coherent population trapping (CPT) on resonant Λ-systems of atomic levels. Our experimental investigations have been carried out on example of spectral components of the Doppler broadened D2line of cesium atoms. Obtained results may be used for optimization of laser frequencies stabilization on atomic transitions.
The saturated absorption technique is an elegant method widely used in atomic and molecular physics for high-resolution spectroscopy, laser frequency standards and metrology purposes. We have recently discovered that a saturated absorption scheme with a dual-frequency laser can lead to a significant sign reversal of the usual Doppler-free dip, yielding a deep enhanced-absorption spike. In this paper, we report detailed experimental investigations of this phenomenon, together with a full in-depth theoretical description. It is shown that several physical effects can support or oppose the formation of the high-contrast central spike in the absorption profile. The physical conditions for which all these effects act constructively and result in very bright Doppler-free resonances are revealed. Apart from their theoretical interest, results obtained in this manuscript are of great interest for laser spectroscopy and laser frequency stabilization purposes, with applications in laser cooling, matter-wave sensors, atomic clocks or quantum optics.
We are studying a new spectroscopic method using laser-cooled rubidium atoms that allows us to lock the carrier frequency of modulated laser in the coherent population trapping (CPT) clock experiment. This method uses counter-propagation of the bichromatic laser field produced by the modulated laser. The counter-propagation cancels the CPT effect near the optical resonance and gives rise to enhanced Doppler-free absorptive resonances with high-contrast away from the transition. We demonstrate the CPT clock operation by locking the modulated laser using this resonance. We also describe a theoretical model that we have developed based on density-matrix formalism to simulate this spectroscopic scheme for accurately predicting the lineshape and amplitude of resonances under different excitation conditions. Our study suggests that this spectroscopic method is also quite suiatble for developing cold-atom based optical frequency standard.
We have detected and analysed narrow high-contrast coherent population trapping (CPT) resonances, which are induced in absorption of the weak probe light beam by the counterpropagating two-frequency pumping radiation. Our experimental investigations have been carried out on example of nonclosed three level Lambda systems formed by spectral components of the Doppler broadened D2 line of cesium atoms. We have established that CPT resonances in transmission of the probe beam (in the cesium vapor), at definite conditions, may have not only more contrast but also much lesser width in comparison with well- known CPT resonances in transmission of the corresponding two-frequency pumping radiation. Thus CPT resonances, detected by the elaborated method, may be used in atomic frequency standards and sensitive magnetometers (based on the CPT phenomenon) and also in ultahigh resolution spectroscopy of atoms and molecules.
This thesis reports the development of a simple-architecture laser system resonant at 895 nm used for the detection of high-contrast coherent population trapping (CPT) resonances in Cs vapor cells. The laser system combines a distributed feedback-diode (DFB) laser, a pigtailed Mach-Zehnder intensity electro-optic modulator (EOM) driven at 4.596 GHz for the generation of optical sidebands frequency-splitted by 9.192 GHz and a Michelson delay-line system to produce a bichromatic optical field that alternates between right and left circular polarization. This polarization pumping scheme, pioneerly proposed by Happer's group in Princeton on K atoms, allows to pump optically a maximum number of Cs atoms into the 0-0 magnetic field insensitive clock transition. Advanced noise reduction techniques were implemented in order to stabilize the laser power, the optical carrier suppression at the output of the EOM and the DFB laser frequency. Using this system, we demonstrated the detection of CPT resonances with a contrast of 80% in cm-scale Cs vapor cells. This contrast was measured to be increased until a saturation effect with the laser power at the expense of the CPT line broandening. To circumvent this issue, we proposed with a simple setup Ramsey spectroscopy of CPT resonances in vapor cells to combine high-contrast and narrow linewidth of the CPT resonances. In this setup, the EOM is used both for optical sidebands generation and light switch to produce Ramsey interaction. Ramsey fringes of 166 Hz linewidth with a contrast better than 30% were detected with this setup. This laser system will be in a near future devoted to be used for the development of a high-performance CPT-based atomic clock.