Long-relaxation-time vapor cells for stability enhancement in SERF atomic spin co-magnetometers
Yi-an Xu, Yuan Hu, Haoran Xu +4 more
Spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) co-magnetometers exhibit broad application prospects in navigation-grade gyroscopes and fundamental physics experiments. However, their performance is constrained by finite spin relaxation times. To address this challenge, long-relaxation-time vapor cells have been realized through the introduction of dry-film anti-relaxation coatings. Such coatings form a stable hydrophobic layer on the inner walls of the vapor cell, which reduces the adsorption energy of alkali-metal atoms and suppresses wall-induced spin-destruction processes, thereby enhancing polarization retention and extending the coherence times of both electronic and nuclear spins. Nevertheless, a clear quantitative relationship between the coating properties and the resulting anti-relaxation performance has not yet been established. To resolve this issue, the present study introduces the background potential field in the Hamiltonian as an intermediate variable, linking the surface adsorption energy of the coating to atomic spin relaxation processes. From the perspective of microscopic energy structure, a theoretical mapping between coating characteristics and anti-relaxation performance is constructed, thereby filling a critical gap in the theoretical understanding of anti-relaxation coating mechanisms.
Sixth Symposium on Novel Optoelectronic Detection Technology and Applications•May 11, 2026•0 citations