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AIP Advances

Characterization of atomic spin polarization lifetime of cesium vapor cells with neon buffer gas

Janet W. Lou, Geoffrey A. Cranch

Published Feb 1, 2018• 17 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The dephasing time of spin-polarized atoms in an atomic vapor cell plays an important role in determining the stability of vapor-cell clocks as well as the sensitivity of optically-pumped magnetometers. The presence of a buffer gas can extend the lifetime of these atoms. Many vapor cell systems operate at a fixed (often elevated) temperature. For ambient temperature operation with no temperature control, it is necessary to characterize the temperature dependence as well. We present a spin-polarization lifetime study of Cesium vapor cells with different buffer gas pressures, and find good agreement with expectations based on the combined effects of wall collisions, spin exchange, and spin destruction. For our (7.5 mm diameter) vapor cells, the lifetime can be increased by two orders of magnitude by introducing Ne buffer gas up to 100 Torr. Additionally, the dependence of the lifetime on temperature is measured (25 - 47 oC) and simulated for the first time to our knowledge with reasonable agreement.

DOI
10.1063/1.5010294

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The dephasing time of spin-polarized atoms in an atomic vapor cell plays an important role in determining the stability of vapor-cell clocks as well as the sensitivity of optically-pumped magnetometers. The presence of a buffer gas can extend the lifetime of these atoms. Many vapor cell systems operate at a fixed (often elevated) temperature. For ambient temperature operation with no temperature control, it is necessary to characterize the temperature dependence as well. We present a spin-polarization lifetime study of Cesium vapor cells with different buffer gas pressures, and find good agreement with expectations based on the combined effects of wall collisions, spin exchange, and spin destruction. For our (7.5 mm diameter) vapor cells, the lifetime can be increased by two orders of magnitude by introducing Ne buffer gas up to 100 Torr. Additionally, the dependence of the lifetime on temperature is measured (25 - 47 oC) and simulated for the first time to our knowledge with reasonable agreement.
All optical cesium (Cs) atomic magnetometer with high sensitivity is an important technique to detect weak magnetic field. The Cs vapor cell is filled with He buffer gas to reduce spin relaxation rate. However the pressure of He also influences the Cs atomic polarizability due to pressure broadening effect. In this work, the principle of all optical Cs atomic magnetometer is analyzed. The rate equation is used to calculate Cs atomic polarizability as the pressure of He is about 100Torr and pure Cs vapor cell. The calculation shows that higher pressure of He buffer gas can decrease Cs atomic polarizability without considering spin-exchange collisions, as the pump beam frequency is locked to Cs D1 transition F=3F=4.
MEMS vapor cells with buffer gas are the core components of chip scale atomic sensors due to the spin precession. We microfabricated rubidium vapor cells filled with neon based on MEMS technology and characterized the performance of MEMS vapor cells by measuring the longitudinal relaxation time. The dependence of spin relaxation time on buffer gas pressure and cell temperature was theoretically and experimentally investigated and the consistency was achieved. This provides a potential simpler approach to evaluate the performance of chip scale atomic sensors, such as atomic magnetometers, based on MEMS vapor cells.
Vapor cells with antirelaxation coating are widely used in modern atomic physics experiments due to the coating's ability to maintain the atoms' spin polarization during wall collisions. We characterize the performance of vapor cells with different coating materials by measuring longitudinal spin relaxation and vapor density at temperatures up to 95 °C. We infer that the spin-projection-noise-limited sensitivity for atomic magnetometers with such cells improves with temperature, which demonstrates the potential of antirelaxation coated cells in applications of future high-sensitivity magnetometers.
Cross sections for relaxation of circular and linear polarization of 62P326^{2}P_{\frac{3}{2}}62P23​​ cesium atoms, induced in collisions with ground-state He, Ne, Ar, and Xe, have been determined by Zeeman scanning techniques. A fluorescence cell containing low-pressure cesium vapor together with a buffer gas was irradiated with circularly or linearly polarized 8521-\AA{} Cs resonance radiation, producing excited and polarized Cs atoms which became depolarized in subsequent collisions with the buffer-gas atoms. The resulting depolarization of the cesium resonance fluorescence was monitored in relation to buffer-gas pressure (0-10 Torr) and to the strength of the ambient magnetic field (0-10 kG). At low fields at which the nuclear spin $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{I}}$ is coupled to the electronic angular momentum $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{J}}$, the measurements yielded depolarization cross sections Q(circ.)Q(\mathrm{circ}.)Q(circ.) and Q(lin.)Q(\mathrm{lin}.)Q(lin.), which agree within experimental error with theoretical values calculated for spin-coupled conditions. At kilogauss fields with $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{I}}$ and $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{J}}$ decoupled, the experiments produced cross sections for disorientation and disalignment, which are also in satisfactory agreement with the appropriate theoretical predictions. The results indicate that the nuclear spin has a more pronounced effect on the collisional relaxation of the atomic dipole than of the quadrupole.
The relaxation of atomic polarization in buffer-gas-free, paraffin-coated cesium vapor cells is studied using a variation on Franzen's technique of ``relaxation in the dark'' [Franzen, Phys. Rev. 115 850 (1959)]. In the present experiment, narrow-band, circularly polarized pump light, resonant with the Cs D2 transition, orients atoms along a longitudinal magnetic field, and time-dependent optical rotation of linearly polarized probe light is measured to determine the relaxation rates of the atomic orientation of a particular hyperfine level. The change in relaxation rates during light-induced atomic desorption (LIAD) is studied. No significant change in the spin relaxation rate during LIAD is found beyond that expected from the faster rate of spin-exchange collisions due to the increase in Cs density.
In order to improve the sensitivity of radio-frequency atomic magnetometer, two methods to extend the transverse relaxation time of polarized alkali atoms are investigated. One way is the application of a non-relaxing coating, another way is the introduction of buffer gas into cell. A theory relaxation model is built, and the dependences of transverse relaxation time on buffer gas pressure, laser power, cell temperature, and magnetic-field gradient are obtained. The measurements of transverse relaxation time are carried out in a cesium atomic radio-frequency magnetometer. The optical experiment conditions which yield the highest sensitivity are determined in experiments. Experiments results indicate that the optimal pressure for neon is 200 Torr. The experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical ones. An ultimate sensitivity of 100 fT/Hz1/2 of the cesium atomic radio-frequency magnetometer has been achieved. This study helps further optimization of the cell performance and the sensitivity of radio-frequency atomic magnetometer.