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Optics Express

Single-beam comagnetometer using elliptically polarized light for dual-axis rotation measurement

Yixiang Liang, Liwei Jiang, Jiali Liu, Jun Zhu, Qi Shao, Shimiao Fan, Xiaoping Li, Wei Quan

Published Sep 22, 2022• 11 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have developed a single-beam spin-exchange relaxation-free comagnetometer using elliptically polarized light for dual-axis rotation measurement. The light beam propagating through the glass cell is simultaneously used for optical pumping and signal extraction. Combined with transverse magnetic field modulation, the rotation information can be collected through a balanced polarimeter module and a lock-in amplifier. Also, we propose a decoupling method by adjusting the phase shift of the reference signal, allowing the device to realize biaxial signal decoupling while still maintaining its self-compensation state. Compared to those without decoupling, our method improves the performance of our device in its signal-to-noise ratio and rotation sensitivity. The single-beam comagnetometer scheme and the decoupling method have a positive impact on the development of miniaturized atomic sensors for high-precision inertial measurement.

DOI
10.1364/oe.470656

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We have developed a single-beam spin-exchange relaxation-free comagnetometer using elliptically polarized light for dual-axis rotation measurement. The light beam propagating through the glass cell is simultaneously used for optical pumping and signal extraction. Combined with transverse magnetic field modulation, the rotation information can be collected through a balanced polarimeter module and a lock-in amplifier. Also, we propose a decoupling method by adjusting the phase shift of the reference signal, allowing the device to realize biaxial signal decoupling while still maintaining its self-compensation state. Compared to those without decoupling, our method improves the performance of our device in its signal-to-noise ratio and rotation sensitivity. The single-beam comagnetometer scheme and the decoupling method have a positive impact on the development of miniaturized atomic sensors for high-precision inertial measurement.
The single-beam comagnetometer working in the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) state is being developed into a miniaturized atomic sensor with extremely high precision in rotation measurement. In this paper, we propose a reflective configuration for the single-beam SERF comagnetometer. The laser light simultaneously used for optical pumping and signal extraction is designed to pass through the atomic ensemble twice. In the optical system, we propose a structure composed of a polarizing beam splitter and a quarter-wave plate. With this, the reflected light beam can be separated entirely from the forward propagating one and realize a complete light collection with a photodiode, making the least light power loss. In our reflective scheme, the length of interaction between light and atoms is extended, and because the power of the DC light component is attenuated, the photodiode can work in a more sensitive range and has a better photoelectric conversion coefficient. Compared with the single-pass scheme, our reflective configuration has a stronger output signal and performs better signal-to-noise ratio and rotation sensitivity. Our work has an important impact on developing miniaturized atomic sensors for rotation measurement in the future.
We describe a dual-axis atomic spin comagnetometer for rotation sensing using a single laser beam. A circularly polarized laser is used to pump the co-located atomic ensembles of alkali metal and noble gas and probe their gyroscopic precession at the same time, which is different from the traditional two-beam orthogonal pump-probe configuration. Combined with magnetic field modulations perpendicular to the laser propagating direction, the comagnetometer could measure dual-axis rotation rates simultaneously. This system is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. A rotation sensitivity of 5.1 × 10–7 rad s−1 Hz−1∕2 and a bias instability of 0.016 °/h have been achieved. The theory and method presented here shed light on the way to miniaturize the comagnetometer with high precision for practical applications.
A compact dual-axis $\mathrm{K}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Rb}\ensuremath{-}^{21}\mathrm{Ne}$ comagnetometer with one circularly polarized pump beam and two orthogonal linearly polarized probe beams is presented. It can be exploited for rotation sensing by operating in the spin-exchange relaxation-free regime. Due to the light shift arising from the pump laser, there is a cross-talk effect between the two sensitive axes, which limits the comagnetometer applications. To eliminate this effect, an external field parallel to the direction of the pump beam is used to compensate the light-shift field. It is validated theoretically and experimentally in the dual-axis $\mathrm{K}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Rb}\ensuremath{-}^{21}\mathrm{Ne}$ comagnetometer. With the cross-talk effect suppressed, the comagnetometer can carry out high-precision rotation sensing along two sensitive axes simultaneously and independently.
Abstract Quantum sensing has demonstrated exceptional potential in magnetic field and inertial rotation measurements due to its ultra-high sensitivity. Among various implementations, the spin-exchange relaxation-free comagnetometer, as atomic spin sensor, exhibits remarkable sensitivity and strong potential for miniaturization and integration. However, the low-frequency performance of such comagnetometers is fundamentally limited by intrinsic noise due to the coupling between magnetic field ( B ) and inertial rotation signals ( Ω ). In this paper, a novel dual spin-polarization detection scheme for a hybrid-pumping comagnetometer is proposed. By introducing simultaneous detection of two electron spin polarizations combined with longitudinal magnetic field modulation and demodulation, our approach enables decoupling and synchronous measurement of B and Ω . The proposed scheme is experimentally validated on a K–Rb- 21 Ne comagnetometer platform. Experimental results show that the two electron species demonstrate inconsistent behaviors in the self-compensation effect, with their respective self-compensation points occurring at different operating conditions. Finally, by individually calibrating the dual spin-polarization detection outputs, real-time in situ measurements of dual-axis magnetic fields and inertial rotation are achieved, effectively addressing the crosstalk issue between magnetic and inertial signals.
A dual-axis atomic comagnetometer can sense the angular rotation of two measurement axes simultaneously and independently. However, there is a cross-talk coupling effect between the two axes because of the residual magnetic field and the light shift arising from the pumping laser. Here, we propose a scheme to eliminate the rotation coupling of dual-axis K-Rb-N21e atomic comagnetometers. The residual magnetic field can be effectively removed by controlling the comagnetometer at the magnetic compensation point and the magnetic shielding layer. The light shift could be eliminated by using the K atom light shift to counteract the Rb atom light shift, in which the light shift of K atoms was optimized to the decoupling point by finely adjusting the pumping laser wavelength of the K D1 line. The feasibility and efficiency of this decoupling scheme have been experimentally verified. The output response of the coupling axis is reduced by two orders of magnitude compared to the sensitive axis. This scheme can also be applied to any atomic comagnetometer with hybrid optical pumping that experiences cross-talk coupling.
The light shift in a spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) atomic magnetometer (AM) generated by detuning of circularly polarized pump light, results in deviations of orthogonality measurement and attenuation of magnetometer response. In this paper, we propose and systematically investigate a dual-axis method to suppress light shift based on a self-developed single-beam compact SERF AM capable of measuring magnetic field components along two orthogonal sensitive axes. By sequentially observing the non-sensitive axis response and applying a magnetic field along the pump light direction, the virtual magnetic field induced by light shift is compensated and is rigorously demonstrated as a dominant component in this direction. Experimental results show a significant reduction in crosstalk between the dual sensitive axes, improving accuracy in resonant frequency determination of87Rb atoms and orthogonality evaluation of triaxial coils. Furthermore, the performance of dual-axis measurement in the SERF AM is tested, showing a more notable enhancement than that of single-axis measurement.