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 Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Optical isolator based on highly efficient optical pumping of Rb atoms in a miniaturized vapor cell

Eliran Talker, Pankaj Arora, Mark Dikopoltsev, Uriel Levy

Published Nov 29, 2019• 12 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We demonstrate both numerically and experimentally the important role of buffer gas in achieving optical isolator based on efficient hyperfine-structure optical pumping of Rubidium (87Rb) atoms in miniaturized vapor cells. It is observed that the increase in the buffer gas pressure allows achieving highly efficient optical pumping. Specifically, at a buffer gas pressure of 40 Torr, it is possible to pump about 85% of the atoms out of the pumped state into the other ground state. While optical pumping has been reported for conventional centimeter-scale cells, we show that in miniaturized cells the role of buffer gas is crucial, as the higher collision rate with the walls diminishes the effect of optical pumping, posing a stringent limitation on the applicability of optical pumping in miniaturized systems. Following the results reported herein, we demonstrate an optical isolator with isolation ratio better than 20 dB at a relatively low temperature of about 80 °C, and with a low magnetic field (∼800 Gauss). The obtained results provide another step forward in the quest for miniaturizing quantum devices. The demonstrated device shows that such miniaturized vapor cells can be considered for applications such as all-optical switching, optical quantum memory, frequency references, and magnetometry to name a few.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6455/ab5da7

Related papers

Efficient Hyperfine Optical Pumping of RB Atoms in Miniaturized Vapor Cells

Eliran Talker, Pankaj Arora, Mark Dikopoltsev +1 more

We demonstrate the positive role of buffer gas in achieving highly efficient hyperfine-structure based optical pumping of Rubidium atoms in miniaturized vapor cells. At a pressure of 40 Torr, pumping efficiency of 85% is achieved.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•May 5, 2019•0 citations

Efficient hyperfine optical pumping of Rb atoms in Miniaturized vapor cells

Eliran Talker, Pankaj Arora, Mark Dikopoltsev +1 more

We demonstrate the positive role of buffer gas in achieving highly efficient hyperfine-structure based optical pumping of Rubidium atoms in miniaturized vapor cells. At a pressure of 40 Torr, pumping efficiency of 85% is achieved.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2019•0 citations

Optical pumping of alkali-metal vapor in the quasi-high-pressure regime

Kezheng Yan, Jinbo Hu, Nan Zhao

Optical pumping is fundamental to high-precision measurement using thermal alkali-metal atoms in vapor cells. In applications such as atomic magnetometry, buffer gases (e.g., $\mathrm{N}_2$ or $\mathrm{He}$) at specific pressures are introduced to quench fluorescence and mitigate wall relaxation. In the high-pressure limit (e.g., the $\mathrm{N}_2$ pressure $p_{\mathrm{N}_2}> 1$~atm), where collisional broadening exceeds hyperfine splittings of the atoms, optical pumping theory provides a clear description of the angular momentum exchange between photons and atomic spins. However, in many magnetic sensing scenarios, the high-pressure approximation becomes inadequate as its pressure conditions are not strictly satisfied. Consequently, an explicit description of optical pumping under realistic pressures is critical for selecting operating points and enhancing system performance. To address this, we develop a unified theoretical framework of optical pumping in the quasi-high-pressure regime, where collisional broadening is comparable to the ground-state hyperfine splitting. We demonstrate that light absorption, spin polarization, and magnetic-resonance linewidth in this regime differ significantly from those predicted by the high-pressure limit and offer favorable operating conditions. Our study extends conventional modeling and offers critical guidance for atomic magnetometry operating under realistic buffer gas pressures.

physics.atom-phCross-listedarXiv:2603.05859•Physical Review A•Mar 9, 2026•0 citations

Spin polarization of 87Rb atoms with Xe gas and high-pressure buffer gas in a cubic cell

Hoon Yu, Jai Seung Yoo

We simulated the optical pumping rate of 87Rb atoms with Xe and high-pressure buffer gas in a cubic cell. We calculated absorption cross-section as a function of pumping laser frequency by considering a pressure and Doppler broadening as gas temperature varies from 364 K to 414 K. In a steady state the spin polarization and the atomic population of 87Rb atoms were obtained by optical pumping in each ground state. We calculated the optimum beam waist, linewidth and detuning of pumping beam to achieve higher population of polarized atoms at cell parameters such as temperature, size. We simulated that the optimum beam waist is 0.3 times of cubic cell length at 250 Torr of di-nitrogen and 50 Torr of Xe gas pressure. The optimum laser beam linewidth parabolically increases with increasing the temperature in range of few ten kelvin and it exponentially decrease with increasing the cubic cell length. We also observed that few ten GHz detuned laser frequency increases the optical pumping rate. These numerical results show appropriate experimental parameter as a function of cell temperature and size to get maximum population of spin polarized atoms in given temperature range.

AIP Advances•Mar 1, 2019•0 citations

Efficient optical pumping of alkaline atoms for evanescent fields at dielectric-vapor interfaces

Eliran Talker, Pankaj Arora, Yefim Barash +2 more

We experimentally demonstrate hyperfine optical pumping of rubidium atoms probed by an evanescent electromagnetic field at a dielectric-vapor interface. This light-atom interaction at the nanoscale is investigated using a right angle prism integrated with a vapor cell and excited by evanescent wave under total internal reflection. An efficient hyperfine optical pumping, leading to almost complete suppression of absorption on the probed evanescent signal, is observed when a pump laser beam is sent at normal incidence to the interface. In contrast, when the pump and probe beams are co-propagating in the integrated prism-vapor cell, no clear evidence of optical pumping is observed. The experimental results are supported by a detailed model based on the optical Bloch equation of a four atomic-level structure, which also includes a treatment of transit relaxation and wall collision with relaxation rates that were obtained directly from the thermal velocities of the atoms and the penetration depth of the evanescent wave. The obtained highly efficient optical pumping at the nanoscale is regarded as an important step in the quest for applications such as optical switching, magnetometry, and quantum memory.

arXiv:1812.08365•Optics Express•Oct 31, 2019•10 citations

Radiation trapping in rubidium optical pumping at low buffer-gas pressures

Mark Rosenberry, J. Paxon Reyes, D. Tupa +1 more

We have made a systematic study of rubidium optical pumping in a simple cylindrical cell geometry with a high-power $10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{W}$ diode laser array, low magnetic fields, and buffer-gas pressures of less than $50\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{torr}$. We have determined rubidium polarizations experimentally for ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$, He, and Ar buffer gases, with Rb number densities from ${10}^{12}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{to}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{10}^{13}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. Comparison to a relatively simple optical pumping model allows us to extract useful information about radiation trapping and quenching effects.

Physical Review A•Feb 1, 2007•67 citations
Abstract We demonstrate both numerically and experimentally the important role of buffer gas in achieving optical isolator based on efficient hyperfine-structure optical pumping of Rubidium (87Rb) atoms in miniaturized vapor cells. It is observed that the increase in the buffer gas pressure allows achieving highly efficient optical pumping. Specifically, at a buffer gas pressure of 40 Torr, it is possible to pump about 85% of the atoms out of the pumped state into the other ground state. While optical pumping has been reported for conventional centimeter-scale cells, we show that in miniaturized cells the role of buffer gas is crucial, as the higher collision rate with the walls diminishes the effect of optical pumping, posing a stringent limitation on the applicability of optical pumping in miniaturized systems. Following the results reported herein, we demonstrate an optical isolator with isolation ratio better than 20 dB at a relatively low temperature of about 80 °C, and with a low magnetic field (∼800 Gauss). The obtained results provide another step forward in the quest for miniaturizing quantum devices. The demonstrated device shows that such miniaturized vapor cells can be considered for applications such as all-optical switching, optical quantum memory, frequency references, and magnetometry to name a few.
Optical pumping is fundamental to high-precision measurement using thermal alkali-metal atoms in vapor cells. In applications such as atomic magnetometry, buffer gases (e.g., N2\mathrm{N}_2N2​ or He\mathrm{He}He) at specific pressures are introduced to quench fluorescence and mitigate wall relaxation. In the high-pressure limit (e.g., the N2\mathrm{N}_2N2​ pressure pN2>1p_{\mathrm{N}_2}> 1pN2​​>1~atm), where collisional broadening exceeds hyperfine splittings of the atoms, optical pumping theory provides a clear description of the angular momentum exchange between photons and atomic spins. However, in many magnetic sensing scenarios, the high-pressure approximation becomes inadequate as its pressure conditions are not strictly satisfied. Consequently, an explicit description of optical pumping under realistic pressures is critical for selecting operating points and enhancing system performance. To address this, we develop a unified theoretical framework of optical pumping in the quasi-high-pressure regime, where collisional broadening is comparable to the ground-state hyperfine splitting. We demonstrate that light absorption, spin polarization, and magnetic-resonance linewidth in this regime differ significantly from those predicted by the high-pressure limit and offer favorable operating conditions. Our study extends conventional modeling and offers critical guidance for atomic magnetometry operating under realistic buffer gas pressures.
We simulated the optical pumping rate of 87Rb atoms with Xe and high-pressure buffer gas in a cubic cell. We calculated absorption cross-section as a function of pumping laser frequency by considering a pressure and Doppler broadening as gas temperature varies from 364 K to 414 K. In a steady state the spin polarization and the atomic population of 87Rb atoms were obtained by optical pumping in each ground state. We calculated the optimum beam waist, linewidth and detuning of pumping beam to achieve higher population of polarized atoms at cell parameters such as temperature, size. We simulated that the optimum beam waist is 0.3 times of cubic cell length at 250 Torr of di-nitrogen and 50 Torr of Xe gas pressure. The optimum laser beam linewidth parabolically increases with increasing the temperature in range of few ten kelvin and it exponentially decrease with increasing the cubic cell length. We also observed that few ten GHz detuned laser frequency increases the optical pumping rate. These numerical results show appropriate experimental parameter as a function of cell temperature and size to get maximum population of spin polarized atoms in given temperature range.
We experimentally demonstrate hyperfine optical pumping of rubidium atoms probed by an evanescent electromagnetic field at a dielectric-vapor interface. This light-atom interaction at the nanoscale is investigated using a right angle prism integrated with a vapor cell and excited by evanescent wave under total internal reflection. An efficient hyperfine optical pumping, leading to almost complete suppression of absorption on the probed evanescent signal, is observed when a pump laser beam is sent at normal incidence to the interface. In contrast, when the pump and probe beams are co-propagating in the integrated prism-vapor cell, no clear evidence of optical pumping is observed. The experimental results are supported by a detailed model based on the optical Bloch equation of a four atomic-level structure, which also includes a treatment of transit relaxation and wall collision with relaxation rates that were obtained directly from the thermal velocities of the atoms and the penetration depth of the evanescent wave. The obtained highly efficient optical pumping at the nanoscale is regarded as an important step in the quest for applications such as optical switching, magnetometry, and quantum memory.
We have made a systematic study of rubidium optical pumping in a simple cylindrical cell geometry with a high-power 10W10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{W}10W diode laser array, low magnetic fields, and buffer-gas pressures of less than 50torr50\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{torr}50torr. We have determined rubidium polarizations experimentally for H2{\mathrm{H}}_{2}H2​, N2{\mathrm{N}}_{2}N2​, He, and Ar buffer gases, with Rb number densities from ${10}^{12}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{to}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{10}^{13}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. Comparison to a relatively simple optical pumping model allows us to extract useful information about radiation trapping and quenching effects.