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Optics Express

Atom-based optical polarization modulator

Ruiqi Wang, Peiyu Yang, Ding Huang, Guzhi Bao, Weiping Zhang

Published Feb 7, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this work, we employ 87 Rb atoms as rotation media to manipulate the polarization of optical fields in both magnetic and magnetic-free environments. Employing the nonlinear magneto-optical rotation mechanism, we achieve a state-of-the-art magneto-optical rotation coefficient of 1.74×10 8 rad⋅T −1 ⋅m −1 which is four orders of magnitude higher than commonly employed materials. Additionally, in a magnetic-free environment, we achieve all-optical cross-polarization modulation between the pump and probe light via Rb atoms. The nonlinear magneto-optical rotation configuration introduces inventive techniques for a new type of magneto-optical modulator while the all-optical configuration paves the way for exploring photonic integrated circuit (PIC) devices free from disruptions caused by electrical or magnetic crosstalk.

DOI
10.1364/oe.514173

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In this work, we employ 87 Rb atoms as rotation media to manipulate the polarization of optical fields in both magnetic and magnetic-free environments. Employing the nonlinear magneto-optical rotation mechanism, we achieve a state-of-the-art magneto-optical rotation coefficient of 1.74×10 8 rad⋅T −1 ⋅m −1 which is four orders of magnitude higher than commonly employed materials. Additionally, in a magnetic-free environment, we achieve all-optical cross-polarization modulation between the pump and probe light via Rb atoms. The nonlinear magneto-optical rotation configuration introduces inventive techniques for a new type of magneto-optical modulator while the all-optical configuration paves the way for exploring photonic integrated circuit (PIC) devices free from disruptions caused by electrical or magnetic crosstalk.
Specific types of atomic coherences between Zeeman sublevels can be generated and detected using a method based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with frequency-modulated light. Linearly polarized, frequency-modulated light is employed to selectively generate ground-state coherences between Zeeman sublevels for which $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}m=2$ and $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}m=4$ in 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb and 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms, and additionally $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}m=6$ in 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb. The atomic coherences are detected with a separate, unmodulated probe light beam. Separation of the pump and probe beams enables independent investigation of the processes of creation and detection of the atomic coherences. With the present technique the transfer of the Zeeman coherences, including high-order coherences, from excited to ground state by spontaneous emission has been observed.
Magnetic-free nonreciprocal optical devices have attracted great attention in recent years. Here, we investigated the magnetic-free polarization rotation of light in an atom vapor cell. Two mechanisms of magnetic-free nonreciprocity have been realized in ensembles of hot atoms, including electromagnetically induced transparency and optically-induced magnetization. For a linearly polarized input probe light, a rotation angle up to 86.4° has been realized with external control and pump laser powers of 10 mW and is mainly attributed to the optically-induced magnetization effect. Our demonstration offers a new approach to realize nonreciprocal devices, which can be applied to solid-state atom ensembles and may be useful in photonic integrated circuits.
This work presents new methods of optical magnetometry developed in the Center for Magneto-Optical Research at the Jagiellonian University. Using rubidium atoms contained in cm-long glass cells and amplitude-modulated laser we have recorded magneto-optical signals of extremely small widths. These signals allow measurements of magnetic fields with a sensitivity comparable to that achieved with magnetometers based on Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs). Full Text: PDF References: M. Faraday,Experimental Researches in Electricity. Nineteenth Series, Trans. R. Soc. London 136, 1 (1846). [CrossRef] K. Barczak and S. Pustelny,Magnetooptic properties of special optical type D fibers, J. Phys. IV 137, 15 (2006). [CrossRef] W. Gawlik, J. Kowalski, R. Neumann, and F. Trager, Observation of the electric hexadecapole moment of free Na atoms in a forward scattering experiment, Opt. Commun. 12, 400 (1974). [CrossRef] W. Gawlik, S. Pustelny, in New Trends in Quantum Coherence and Optics, R. Drampyan Ed., 47 (New York, Nova Publishers, 2009). D. W. Gawlik, D. F. Kimball, S. M. Rochester, A. Weis, and V. V. Yashchuk,Resonant nonlinear magneto-optical effects in atoms, Rev. Mod. Phys. 74, 1153 (2002). [CrossRef] D. V.V. Yashchuk, and M. Zolotorev,Nonlinear Magneto-optic Effects with Ultranarrow Widths, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81(26), 5788 (1998). [CrossRef] D. D. F. Kimball, S. M. Rochester, V. V. Yashchuk, and M. Zolotorev,Sensitive magnetometry based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation, Phys. Rev. A 62, 043403 (2000). [CrossRef] G. Wąsik, W. Gawlik, J. Zachorowski, and W. Zawadzki, Laser frequency stabilization by Doppler-free magnetic dichroism, Appl. Phys. B 75, 613 (2002). [CrossRef] W. Gawlik, L. Krzemien, S. Pustelny, D. Sangla, J. Zachorowski, M. Graf, A. O. Sushkov, and D. Budker, magneto-optical rotation with amplitude modulated light, Appl. Phys. Lett. 88 131108 (2006). [CrossRef] D. D. F. Kimball, V. V. Yashchuk, M. Zolotorev,Nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with frequency-modulated light, Phys. Rev. A 65, 055403 (2002). [CrossRef] J. M. Higbie, E. Corsini, and D. Robust, high-speed, all-optical atomic magnetometer, Rev. Sci. Instr. 77, 113106 (2006). [CrossRef] S. Pustelny, A. Wojciechowski, M. Kotyrba, K. Sycz, J. Zachorowski, W. Gawlik, A. Cingoz, N. Leefer, J. M. Higbie, E. Corsini, M. P. Ledbetter, S. M. Rochester, A. O. Sushkov, and D. All-optical atomic magnetometers based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with amplitude modulated light, Proc. of SPIE 6604, 660404 (2007). [CrossRef] S. Pustelny, A. Wojciechowski, M. Gring, M. Kotyrba, J. Zachorowski, W. Gawlik, Magnetometry based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with amplitude-modulated light, J. Appl. Phys. 103, 063108 (2008). [CrossRef] S. Pustelny, S. M. Rochester, D. F. Jackson Kimball, V. V. Yashchuk, D. and W. Gawlik, Nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with modulated light in tilted magnetic fields, Phys. Rev. A 74, 063420 (2006). [CrossRef]
Larmor precession of laser-polarized atoms contained in antirelaxation-coated cells, detected via nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR), is a promising technique for a new generation of ultrasensitive atomic magnetometers. For magnetic fields directed along the light propagation direction, resonances in NMOR appear when linearly polarized light is frequency or amplitude modulated at twice the Larmor frequency. Because the frequency of these resonances depends on the magnitude but not the direction of the field, they are useful for scalar magnetometry. Additional NMOR resonances at the Larmor frequency appear when the magnetic field is tilted away from the light propagation direction in the plane defined by the light propagation and polarization vectors. These resonances, studied both experimentally and with a density matrix calculation in the present work, offer a convenient method of achieving additional information about a direction of the magnetic field.
A self-oscillating magnetometer based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation using amplitude-modulated pump light and unmodulated probe light (AM-NMOR) in 87Rb has been constructed and tested towards a goal of airborne detection of magnetic anomalies. In AM-NMOR, stroboscopic optical pumping via amplitude modulation of the pump beam creates alignment of the ground electronic state of the rubidium atoms. The Larmor precession causes an ac rotation of the polarization of a separate probe beam; the polarization rotation frequency provides a measure of the magnetic field. An anti-relaxation coating on the walls of the atomic vapor cell results in a long lifetime of 56 ms for the alignment, which enables precise measurement of the precession frequency. Light is delivered to the magnetometer by polarization-maintaining optical fibers. Tests of the sensitivity include directly measuring the beat frequency between the magnetometer and a commercial instrument and measurements of Earth's field under magnetically quiet conditions, indicating a sensitivity of at least 5 pT/νHz. Rotating the sensor indicates a heading error of less than 1 nT, limited in part by residual magnetism of the sensor.
Nonlinear resonances in alkali metal vapor, which are detected by the magneto-optical rotation of the linear polarization of light, are actively used in quantum magnetometry to fabricate atomic magnetometers. The magneto-optical rotation in most such sensors is due to magnetic birefringence, and rotation angles usually do not exceed tens of milliradians. In this work, an experiment where magneto-optical resonances of linear polarization rotation of a probe wave are due to strong dichroism induced in a medium by a counterpropagating pump wave has been proposed. Both waves are in resonance with the Fg = 2 → Fe = 1 optical transition in the 87Rb D1 line (λ ≈ 795 nm). Experiments have been carried out with a 2-cm-long cylindrical cell filled with a buffer gas, and the maximum rotation angle is ≈390 mrad (22°) at a width of resonance of about 300 nT. The results show that the configuration proposed for the observation of magneto-optical rotation is promising for the fabrication of compact high-sensitivity atomic magnetometers.