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Applied Physics B

On Rabi oscillations in ground hyperfine states of 87Rb atom driven by a microwave field

S. Sarkar, Vivek Singh, K. A. P. Singh, A. Chaudhary, Vibhuti Bhushan Tiwari, Satya Ram Mishra

Published Jul 8, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We have observed the Rabi oscillations of the population of 87 Rb atoms in the hyperfine ground state, when a cold atom cloud prepared in the hyperfine ground state (F = 1) was exposed to a microwave (MW) radiation field resonant to the |F = 1, m F = 0 > → |F = 2, m F = 0 > transition. After exposure to MW field, the atom cloud was imaged using the absorption probe method, and the cloud images have revealed that the population excited to the hyperfine state (F = 2) varied with the position in the atom cloud. At a given position in the atom cloud, the excited population shows Rabi oscillations between two hyperfine states with an increase in the MW field exposure time. Using these Rabi oscillations, the amplitude of the microwave magnetic field was estimated, which showed good agreement with the calculated field values. PACS numbers: 32.80.Pj, 33.55.Be, 67.85.-d.

DOI
10.1007/s00340-025-08505-z

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Abstract We have observed the Rabi oscillations of the population of 87 Rb atoms in the hyperfine ground state, when a cold atom cloud prepared in the hyperfine ground state (F = 1) was exposed to a microwave (MW) radiation field resonant to the |F = 1, m F = 0 > → |F = 2, m F = 0 > transition. After exposure to MW field, the atom cloud was imaged using the absorption probe method, and the cloud images have revealed that the population excited to the hyperfine state (F = 2) varied with the position in the atom cloud. At a given position in the atom cloud, the excited population shows Rabi oscillations between two hyperfine states with an increase in the MW field exposure time. Using these Rabi oscillations, the amplitude of the microwave magnetic field was estimated, which showed good agreement with the calculated field values. PACS numbers: 32.80.Pj, 33.55.Be, 67.85.-d.
We demonstrate coherent control of the rotational and hyperfine state of ultracold, chemically stable 87Rb133Cs^{87}\mathrm{Rb}^{133}\mathrm{Cs}87Rb133Cs molecules with external microwave fields. We create a sample of $\ensuremath{\sim}2000$ molecules in the lowest hyperfine level of the rovibronic ground state N=0N=0N=0. We measure the transition frequencies to eight different hyperfine levels of the N=1N=1N=1 state at two magnetic fields $\ensuremath{\sim}23$ G apart. We determine accurate values of rotational and hyperfine coupling constants that agree well with previous calculations. We observe Rabi oscillations on each transition, allowing complete population transfer to a selected hyperfine level of N=1N=1N=1. Subsequent application of a second microwave pulse allows the transfer of molecules back to a different hyperfine level of N=0N=0N=0.
The effect of microwave radiation on the resonance fluorescence of a cloud of cold 85 Rb atoms in a magnetooptical trap is studied. The radiation frequency was tuned near the hyperfine splitting frequency of rubidium atoms in the 5S ground state. The microwave field induced magnetic dipole transitions between the magnetic sublevels of the 5S ( F =2) and 5S ( F =3) states, resulting in a change in the fluorescence signal. The resonance fluorescence spectra were recorded by tuning the microwave radiation frequency. The observed spectra were found to be substantially dependent on the transition under study and the frequency of a repump laser used in the cooling scheme.
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We report a technique that uses clouds of ultracold atoms as sensitive, tunable, and noninvasive probes for microwave field imaging with micrometer spatial resolution. The microwave magnetic field components drive Rabi oscillations on atomic hyperfine transitions whose frequency can be tuned with a static magnetic field. Readout is accomplished using state-selective absorption imaging. Quantitative data extraction is simple and it is possible to reconstruct the distribution of microwave magnetic field amplitudes and phases. While we demonstrate two-dimensional imaging, an extension to three-dimensional imaging is straightforward. We use the method to determine the microwave near-field distribution around a coplanar waveguide integrated on an atom chip.
We report a technique that uses clouds of ultracold atoms as sensitive, tunable, and noninvasive probes for microwave field imaging with micrometer spatial resolution. The microwave magnetic field components drive Rabi oscillations on atomic hyperfine transitions whose frequency can be tuned with a static magnetic field. Readout is accomplished using state-selective absorption imaging. Quantitative data extraction is simple and it is possible to reconstruct the distribution of microwave magnetic field amplitudes and phases. While we demonstrate two-dimensional imaging, an extension to three-dimensional imaging is straightforward. We use the method to determine the microwave near-field distribution around a coplanar waveguide integrated on an atom chip.
Microwave emission has been observed at the ground-state hyperfine transition frequency of a cesium atomic vapor driven into a nonabsorbing state by means of coherent population trapping. The coherent emission observed is due to the oscillating magnetization generated by the coherence, which is induced between the ground-state hyperfine levels when they are coupled to an excited state by means of two laser radiations via a \ensuremath{\Lambda} scheme. The experiments described were done in a quartz cell containing buffer gases such as neon and nitrogen, reducing the linewidth through the Dicke effect. The cell was placed inside a microwave cavity tuned at 9.2 GHz, the ground-state hyperfine frequency of cesium, and a power output of the order of 100 fW was measured in the case where nitrogen was used as the buffer gas.