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Measuring the Stokes parameters for light transmitted by a high-density rubidium vapour in large magnetic fields

Weller, L, Dalton, T, Siddons, P, Adams, CS, Hughes, IG, ,

Published Mar 14, 2012• 22 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Here we report on measurements of the absolute absorption and dispersion of light in a dense rubidium vapour on the D2 line in the weak-probe regime with an applied magnetic field. A model for the electric susceptibility of the vapour is presented which includes both dipole-dipole interactions and the Zeeman effect. The predicted susceptibility is comprehensively tested by comparison to experimental spectra for fields up to 800 G. The dispersive properties of the medium are tested by comparison between experimental measurements and theoretical prediction of the Stokes parameters as a function of the atom-light detuning.

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Here we report on measurements of the absolute absorption and dispersion of light in a dense rubidium vapour on the D2 line in the weak-probe regime with an applied magnetic field. A model for the electric susceptibility of the vapour is presented which includes both dipole-dipole interactions and the Zeeman effect. The predicted susceptibility is comprehensively tested by comparison to experimental spectra for fields up to 800 G. The dispersive properties of the medium are tested by comparison between experimental measurements and theoretical prediction of the Stokes parameters as a function of the atom-light detuning.

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Here we report on measurements of the absolute absorption and dispersion of light in a dense rubidium vapour on the D2 line in the weak-probe regime with an applied magnetic field. A model for the electric susceptibility of the vapour is presented which includes both dipole-dipole interactions and the Zeeman effect. The predicted susceptibility is comprehensively tested by comparison to experimental spectra for fields up to 800 G. The dispersive properties of the medium are tested by comparison between experimental measurements and theoretical prediction of the Stokes parameters as a function of the atom-light detuning.
Here we report on measurements of the absolute absorption and dispersion of light in a dense rubidium vapour on the D2 line in the weak-probe regime with an applied magnetic field. A model for the electric susceptibility of the vapour is presented which includes both dipole-dipole interactions and the Zeeman effect. The predicted susceptibility is comprehensively tested by comparison to experimental spectra for fields up to 800 G. The dispersive properties of the medium are tested by comparison between experimental measurements and theoretical prediction of the Stokes parameters as a function of the atom-light detuning.
This thesis presents a comparative study of the measured and calculated absolute absorption and dispersion properties of the Rb D lines through a dense thermal vapour in the absence and presence of an applied magnetic field. A detailed theoretical model valid in the weak-probe regime is calculated. The model uses a matrix representation of the atomic Hamiltonian including the magnetic field interaction for Rb in the completely uncoupled basis. Numerical diagonalisation allows the frequency detunings and transition strengths to be calculated. The lineshape of each transition is modelled as a Voigt profile, a convolution of the inhomogeneous and homogeneous profiles. The medium’s susceptibility is found by summing over all the electric-dipole-allowed transitions. For dense thermal vapours a modification to the homogeneous linewidth of each transition, which grows linearly with the number density of atoms, arises due to resonant dipole-dipole interactions between identical atoms in superpositions of the ground and excited terms. In the presence of an applied magnetic field we investigate the Stokes parameters of light propagating through a dense thermal vapour. For fields larger than 0.33 T we enter the hyperfine Paschen-Back regime on the Rb D lines. We present a compact optical isolator based on an atomic vapour, exploiting the spectral region of high transmission and large dispersion where we would normally expect absorption on the Rb D lines. Frequency up-conversion is shown in the fluorescence measurements over the visible and near infra-red regions for strong excitation. Low density transfer arises due to the energy-pooling effect between two identical atoms in their first excited terms. At high densities resonant dipole-dipole interactions give rise to a threshold for the energy transfer. We characterise the threshold behaviour with increasing number density.
Here we report on measurements of the absolute absorption and dispersion properties of an isotopically pure 87Rb vapour for magnetic fields up to and including 0.6 T. We discuss the various regimes that arise when the hyperfine and Zeeman interactions have different magnitudes, and show that we enter the hyperfine Paschen–Back regime for fields greater than 0.33 T on the Rb D2 line. The experiment uses a compact 1 mm3 microfabricated vapour cell that makes it easy to maintain a uniform and large magnetic field with a small and inexpensive magnet. We find excellent agreement between the experimental results and numerical calculations of the weak probe susceptibility where the line positions and strengths are calculated by matrix diagonalization.
Abstract This study presents a comprehensive experimental and theoretical characterisation of Stokes polarimetry in potassium (K) vapour on the D1 line. Measurements were performed in the weak-probe regime, investigating the influence of neon buffer gas in the presence of an applied magnetic field in the Faraday geometry. While previous Stokes polarimetry studies in alkali-metal vapours have been conducted, the specific effects of buffer gas-induced broadening and shifts on the observed Stokes parameters remained largely underexplored. Here, experimental measurements of absolute absorption and dispersion were compared with a theoretical model for the electric susceptibility of the vapour, calculated using the established software package ElecSus . This work marks the first application of ElecSus to model buffer gas polarimetry of the potassium D1 line, with validation performed against experimental spectra for magnetic fields up to 1.2 kG. Our findings provide new insight into how the presence of buffer gas influences the observed Stokes parameters, thereby enhancing the predictive capabilities of theoretical frameworks for atom-light interactions in buffer-gas environments.
Here we report on measurements of the absolute absorption and dispersion properties of an isotopically pure 87 Rb vapour for magnetic fields up to and including 0.6 T. We discuss the various regimes that arise when the hyperfine and Zeeman interactions have different magnitudes, and show that we enter the hyperfine Paschen–Back regime for fields greater than 0.33 T on the Rb D 2 line. The experiment uses a compact 1 mm 3 microfabricated vapour cell that makes it easy to maintain a uniform and large magnetic field with a small and inexpensive magnet. We find excellent agreement between the experimental results and numerical calculations of the weak probe susceptibility where the line positions and strengths are calculated by matrix diagonalization.
Here we report on measurements of the absolute absorption spectra of dense rubidium vapour on the D 1 line in the weak-probe regime for temperatures up to 170 °C and number densities up to 3 × 10 14 cm −3 . In such vapours, modifications to the homogeneous linewidth of optical transitions arise due to dipole–dipole interactions between identical atoms, in superpositions of the ground and excited states. Absolute absorption spectra were recorded with a deviation of 0.1% between experiment and a theory incorporating resonant dipole–dipole interactions. The manifestation of dipole–dipole interactions is a self-broadening contribution to the homogeneous linewidth, which grows linearly with number density of atoms. Analysis of the absolute absorption spectra allows us to ascertain the value of the self-broadening coefficient for the rubidium D 1 line: β/2π = (0.69 ± 0.04) × 10 −7 Hz cm 3 , in excellent agreement with the theoretical prediction.