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Journal of Physics Conference Series

Suppression of relaxation of higher polarization moments of alkali atoms in superfrequent spin-exchange collisions

A. I. Okunevich

Published Nov 1, 2021• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Consideration of nonlinear spin-exchange equations showed that, in addition to the well-known suppression of the relaxation of the transverse orientation of atoms in a low magnetic field, relaxation of higher polarization moments (alignment, octupole, hexadecapole, etc) are also suppressed. Such suppression of relaxation is caused by the conservation of the transverse angular momentum of atoms in collisions.

DOI
10.1088/1742-6596/2103/1/012224

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Physical Review A•Oct 21, 2014•19 citations
Abstract Consideration of nonlinear spin-exchange equations showed that, in addition to the well-known suppression of the relaxation of the transverse orientation of atoms in a low magnetic field, relaxation of higher polarization moments (alignment, octupole, hexadecapole, etc) are also suppressed. Such suppression of relaxation is caused by the conservation of the transverse angular momentum of atoms in collisions.
The induction of higher polarization moments-the octupole orientation and the hexadecapole alignment—in the case of two-step excitation of atoms through dipole transitions and their manifestation in the polarization of dipole emission under conditions of anisotropic collisions are studied. For all channels of the two-step excitation process J 0→J 1 J, the efficiencies of production of higher polarization moments with integer and half-integer angular momenta from J=2 to J=7 through the absorption of linearly or circularly polarized light are calculated. The rates of collisional relaxation and interconversion of higher polarization moments, for both orientation and alignment, as functions of frequency detuning of the laser line from the center of the Doppler profile are calculated. The theory is illustrated by an example of two channels of excitation of the atomic state J=2 by circularly polarized light: J 0=0→J 1=1J=2 and J 0=3→J 1=2 (or 3)→J=2. In the first case, the octupole orientation enhances or attenuates the signal of circular polarization depending on the laser frequency detuning. In the second case, it represents the only source producing orientation and circular polarization of the emitted light.
Direct observability of polarization moments of a higher order—octupole orientation of atomic angular momenta (κ=3) and their hexadecapole alignment (κ=4)—from polarization of quadrupole radiation is discussed. The case when atoms are excited through dipole absorption of light producing orientation or alignment of angular momenta with κ=1 or 2 and higher polarization moments are induced by collisions with a beam of particles is considered. It is shown that differences in the laws of transformation of polarization moments of various ranks κ in rotations of coordinate axes allow us to select the pure contribution of the higher polarization moment under study from the signal of polarization of quadrupole emission by excluding the contribution of orientation or alignment with κ=1 or 2. Optimum systems of coordinate axes for the observation of octupole orientation from circular polarization of light and for the observation of hexadecapole alignment from linear polarization of light, in which the pure contribution of the higher polarization moment under study to polarization of quadrupole emission reaches its maximum, are calculated.
The results of a study of the dynamics of atomic moments alignment in cesium under optical pumping by linearly polarized resonant light in ultra-weak magnetic field are presented. It is shown that there are alignment components whose relaxation does not depend on spin-exchange broadening. The effect of suppression of spin-exchange relaxation in zero magnetic fields is detected, which is similar in its manifestations to the SERF (Spin-Exchange Relaxation Free) effect observed in orientation signals. This observation is interesting from the standpoint of general theory, since the law of conservation of angular momentum responsible for maintaining orientation in the SERF mode should not guarantee the preservation of alignment under the same conditions. A comparison with theoretically calculated parameters of SERF resonances in orientation is given. A qualitative explanation of the observed effect is presented.
Relaxation of the Larmor magnetic moment by spin-exchange collisions has been shown to diminish for high alkali densities, resulting from the linear part of the collisional interaction. In contrast, we demonstrate both experimentally and theoretically the elimination of spin-exchange relaxation of high magnetic moments (birefringence) in alkali vapor. This elimination originates from the nonlinear part of the spin-exchange interaction, as a scattering process of the Larmor magnetic moment. We find counterintuitively that the threshold magnetic field is the same as in the Larmor case, despite the fact that the precession frequency is twice as large.
Abstract Spin-exchange (SE) and spin-destruction (SD) collisions play a central role in determining the coherence properties of alkali-metal vapors and the performance of alkali-metal magnetometers in external magnetic fields. In this work, we investigate how these collisions influence spin relaxation dynamics and magnetometric response using a generalized Bloch equation that fully accounts for the coupled evolution of spin polarizations in different hyperfine manifolds. Our results show that in the low-field regime, both SE and SD collisions contribute to the suppression of transverse spin relaxation and the slowdown of spin precession, whereas longitudinal relaxation depends weakly on the SE rate and is predominantly governed by SD interactions. Building on the established relationship between spin relaxation rates and magnetometric response, we further analyze how SE and SD collisions affect the performance of two representative magnetometer architectures: the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometer and the magnetic-resonance Mx-type magnetometer. The SERF magnetometer’s response is found to be primarily determined by the SD rate, with only minor dependence on the nuclear spin quantum number. In contrast, the magnetic-resonance Mx-type magnetometer’s sensitivity is significantly affected by both the magnetic field strength and the SE rate. While the resonance linewidth decreases with reduced magnetic field, the associated measurement accuracy deteriorates markedly. Consequently, reliable magnetic field reconstruction is only achievable in the high-field regime, where the Larmor frequency greatly exceeds the SE rate.
At the most fundamental level, the performance of atomic sensors is limited by quantum decoherence. The problem of decoherence has been addressed at low magnetic fields with atomic samples, where the limiting factor of the coherence lifetime arises from spin-exchange collisions. In this paper, we demonstrate the complex role of the collisions in the relaxation of quantum states of alkali-metal atoms. The detailed understanding of the collision role allows us to reduce the ground-state relaxation in stronger magnetic fields (tens $\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{T}$). Reduction of the relaxation rate enables improvement of the performance of atomic sensors. In particular, enhancement of the sensitivity of optical magnetometers in the detection of stronger magnetic fields may be obtained. Reduced transverse relaxation also enables increasing quantum-information storage time in atomic vapor.