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Hybrid optical pumping of K and Rb atoms in a paraffin coated vapor cell

Wenhao Li, Xiang Peng, Dmitry Budker, Arne Wickenbrock, Pang, Bo, Rui Zhang, Hong Mei Guo

Published Jan 1, 2017• 13 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Dynamic hybrid optical pumping effects with a radio-frequency field-driven nonlinear magneto-optical rotation scheme are studied in a dual-species paraffin coated vapor cell. By pumping K atoms and probing Rb87 atoms, we achieve an intrinsic magnetic resonance linewidth of 3 Hz, and the observed resonance is immune to power broadening and light-shift effects. Such an operation scheme shows favorable prospects for atomic magnetometry applications.

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Hybrid optical pumping of K and Rb atoms in a paraffin coated vapor cell

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Dynamic hybrid optical pumping effects with a radio-frequency field-driven nonlinear magneto-optical rotation scheme are studied in a dual-species paraffin coated vapor cell. By pumping K atoms and probing Rb87 atoms, we achieve an intrinsic magnetic resonance linewidth of 3 Hz, and the observed resonance is immune to power broadening and light-shift effects. Such an operation scheme shows favorable prospects for atomic magnetometry applications.

arXiv:1708.08605•Optics Letters•Oct 9, 2017•17 citations

Transient response of nonlinear magneto-optic rotation in a paraffin-coated Rb vapor cell

M. Ummal Momeen, G. K. Rangarajan, Vasant Natarajan A

We study resonant nonlinear magneto-optic rotation (NMOR) in a paraffin-coated Rb vapor cell as the magnetic field is swept. At low sweep rates, the nonlinear rotation appears as a narrow resonance signal with a linewidth of about ``$300$ $\ensuremath{\mu}$G'' ($2\ensuremath{\pi}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}420$ Hz). At high sweep rates, the signal shows transient response with an oscillatory decay. The decay time constant is of order $100$ ms. The behavior is different for transitions starting from the lower or the upper hyperfine level of the ground state because of optical pumping effects.

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Nonlinear magneto-optical effect in paraffin coated Rb vapor cell

Hyun Joon Lee, Ye-Jin Yu, In‐Ho Bae +1 more

Application of an atomic magnetometer based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation(NMOR) was studied. We have observed the NMOR signals in87Rb D1line using the the Rb vapor cell coated with paraffin. The paraffin coated vapor cell lead to double structured features in the NMOR signal which have different slope value of 0.193 mrad/mG and 2.23 mrad/mG with laser power 400 muW, respectively.

•Aug 1, 2009•0 citations

Nonlinear magneto-optical rotation and Zeeman and hyperfine relaxation of potassium atoms in a paraffin-coated cell

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Nonlinear magneto-optical Faraday rotation (NMOR) on the potassium D1 and D2 lines was used to study Zeeman relaxation rates in an antirelaxation paraffin-coated $3\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{cm}$-diameter potassium vapor cell. Intrinsic Zeeman relaxation rates of ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{NMOR}∕2\ensuremath{\pi}=2.0(6)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ were observed. The relatively small hyperfine intervals in potassium lead to significant differences in NMOR in potassium compared to rubidium and cesium. Using laser optical pumping, widths and frequency shifts were also determined for transitions between ground-state hyperfine sublevels of $^{39}\mathrm{K}$ atoms contained in the same paraffin-coated cell. The intrinsic hyperfine relaxation rate of ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{\mathit{expt}}^{\mathit{hf}}∕2\ensuremath{\pi}=10.6(7)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ and a shift of $\ensuremath{-}9.1(2)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ were observed. These results show that adiabatic relaxation gives only a small contribution to the overall hyperfine relaxation in the case of potassium, and the relaxation is dominated by other mechanisms similar to those observed in previous studies with rubidium.

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Magnetometric sensitivity optimization for nonlinear optical rotation with frequency-modulated light: Rubidium D2 line

Derek F. Jackson Kimball, Louis Jacome, Srikanth Guttikonda +2 more

Atomic spin polarization of alkali atoms in the ground-state can survive thousands of collisions with paraffin-coated cell walls. The resulting long spin-relaxation times achieved in evacuated, paraffin-coated cells enable precise measurement of atomic spin precession and energy shifts of ground-state Zeeman sublevels. In the present work, nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with frequency-modulated light (FM NMOR) is used to measure magnetic field-induced spin precession for rubidium atoms contained in a paraffin-coated cell. The magnetometric sensitivity of FM NMOR for the rubidium D2 line is studied as a function of light power, detuning, frequency-modulation amplitude, and rubidium vapor density. For a 5-cm-diameter cell at temperature T≈35 °C, the optimal shot-noise-projected magnetometric sensitivity is found to be 2×10−11 G/Hz (corresponding to a sensitivity to spin precession frequency of ≈10 μHz/Hz or a sensitivity to Zeeman sublevel shifts of ≈4×10−20 eV/Hz).

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Magnetometry with millimeter-scale antirelaxation-coated alkali-metal vapor cells

M. V. Balabas, Dmitry Budker, John E. Kitching +2 more

Dynamic nonlinear magneto-optical-rotation signals with frequency- and amplitude-modulated laser light have been observed and investigated with a spherical glass cell of 3 mm diameter containing Cs metal with inner walls coated with paraffin. Intrinsic Zeeman relaxation rates of γ/(2π)≈20 Hz and lower have been observed. Favorable prospects of using millimeter-scale coated cells in portable magnetometers and secondary frequency references are discussed.

arXiv:physics/0511003•Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jun 1, 2006•94 citations
Dynamic hybrid optical pumping effects with a radio-frequency field-driven nonlinear magneto-optical rotation scheme are studied in a dual-species paraffin coated vapor cell. By pumping K atoms and probing Rb87 atoms, we achieve an intrinsic magnetic resonance linewidth of 3 Hz, and the observed resonance is immune to power broadening and light-shift effects. Such an operation scheme shows favorable prospects for atomic magnetometry applications.
We study resonant nonlinear magneto-optic rotation (NMOR) in a paraffin-coated Rb vapor cell as the magnetic field is swept. At low sweep rates, the nonlinear rotation appears as a narrow resonance signal with a linewidth of about ``300300300 $\ensuremath{\mu}$G'' ($2\ensuremath{\pi}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}420$ Hz). At high sweep rates, the signal shows transient response with an oscillatory decay. The decay time constant is of order 100100100 ms. The behavior is different for transitions starting from the lower or the upper hyperfine level of the ground state because of optical pumping effects.
Nonlinear magneto-optical Faraday rotation (NMOR) on the potassium D1 and D2 lines was used to study Zeeman relaxation rates in an antirelaxation paraffin-coated $3\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{cm}$-diameter potassium vapor cell. Intrinsic Zeeman relaxation rates of ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{NMOR}∕2\ensuremath{\pi}=2.0(6)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ were observed. The relatively small hyperfine intervals in potassium lead to significant differences in NMOR in potassium compared to rubidium and cesium. Using laser optical pumping, widths and frequency shifts were also determined for transitions between ground-state hyperfine sublevels of 39K^{39}\mathrm{K}39K atoms contained in the same paraffin-coated cell. The intrinsic hyperfine relaxation rate of ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{\mathit{expt}}^{\mathit{hf}}∕2\ensuremath{\pi}=10.6(7)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ and a shift of $\ensuremath{-}9.1(2)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ were observed. These results show that adiabatic relaxation gives only a small contribution to the overall hyperfine relaxation in the case of potassium, and the relaxation is dominated by other mechanisms similar to those observed in previous studies with rubidium.
Atomic spin polarization of alkali atoms in the ground-state can survive thousands of collisions with paraffin-coated cell walls. The resulting long spin-relaxation times achieved in evacuated, paraffin-coated cells enable precise measurement of atomic spin precession and energy shifts of ground-state Zeeman sublevels. In the present work, nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with frequency-modulated light (FM NMOR) is used to measure magnetic field-induced spin precession for rubidium atoms contained in a paraffin-coated cell. The magnetometric sensitivity of FM NMOR for the rubidium D2 line is studied as a function of light power, detuning, frequency-modulation amplitude, and rubidium vapor density. For a 5-cm-diameter cell at temperature T≈35 °C, the optimal shot-noise-projected magnetometric sensitivity is found to be 2×10−11 G/Hz (corresponding to a sensitivity to spin precession frequency of ≈10 μHz/Hz or a sensitivity to Zeeman sublevel shifts of ≈4×10−20 eV/Hz).