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Journal of Modern Optics

Application of modified stimulated photon echo technique for measuring relaxation rates of orientation and alignment in an atomic gas

Хворостов Евгений Борисович, Sergei A. Kochubei, Рубцова Наталия Николаевна

Published Jul 30, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The phenomenon of modified stimulated photon echo is registered on two adjacent quantum transitions of 174Yb atoms. The experiments were performed in a rarefied atomic vapour of ytterbium, strongly diluted by the noble gas xenon. Light pulses of linear polarization with specially selected mutual orientations of the polarization vectors were used to excite the atoms, which made it possible to measure the relaxation rates of the orientation and alignment for a three times degenerated intermediate quantum level of 174Yb atoms. The method of modified stimulated photon echo is compared to the method of conventional stimulated photon echo.

DOI
10.1080/09500340.2026.2710720

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Two Ways for Measuring the Collisional Decay Times of the Orientation and Alignment of the 3P1 level of 174Yb Atoms Using Adjacent Quantum Transitions

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Isotropic depolarizing collisions are studied using a stimulated photon echo with a specific polarization of the excitation radiation pulses in a mixture of ytterbium with krypton for the J = 1 ⇄ J = 0 transition of 174Yb. The difference between the relaxation rates of orientation and alignment γ (2) − γ (1) of the 3 P 1(6s6p) 174Yb level is measured as a function of the krypton pressure. The collision photon echo at the J = 1 ⇄ J = 0 transition induced by the anisotropic relaxation is studied for the Yb + Xe mixture. The power of the collision echo increases from zero with the addition of a buffer gas to ytterbium, reaches an optimal level, and decreases with an increase in the buffer gas pressure. The polarization of this collision-induced echo differs from the polarization of the conventional echo. The experimental results are in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions.

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L. S. Vasilenko, Н. Н. Рубцова, Хворостов Евгений Борисович

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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Mar 3, 1997•0 citations

Relaxation characteristics of (6s6p) 3P1 174Yb level

Igor V. Yevseyev, В. Н. Ищенко, Хворостов Евгений Борисович +2 more

First proposal is made to measure the ratio of stimulated photon echo power corresponding to two different mutual orientations of exciting pulses polarizations as a function of the buffer gas pressure to extract the spectroscopic information concerning the relaxation rates difference of orientation and alignment from these measurements. The absolute value of the difference between relaxation characteristics |γb (1)-γb (2)| corresponding to orientation and alignment of 3P1 (6s6p) level of 174Yb due to it's collisions with krypton atoms is measured. The fact of the difference between orientation and alignment relaxation rates is reliably stated.

Laser Physics Letters•Feb 16, 2007•17 citations
The phenomenon of modified stimulated photon echo is registered on two adjacent quantum transitions of 174Yb atoms. The experiments were performed in a rarefied atomic vapour of ytterbium, strongly diluted by the noble gas xenon. Light pulses of linear polarization with specially selected mutual orientations of the polarization vectors were used to excite the atoms, which made it possible to measure the relaxation rates of the orientation and alignment for a three times degenerated intermediate quantum level of 174Yb atoms. The method of modified stimulated photon echo is compared to the method of conventional stimulated photon echo.
Polarization stimulated photon echo technique is applied to measure the difference between relaxation rates of alignment and orientation of the level 3P1 (6s6p) of 174Yb. At the transition 1S0 (6s2) - 3P1 (6s6p) 174Yb (of type 0 ↔ 1) a collision induced echo is revealed, which is generated by two pulses of linear and mutually orthogonal polarizations. Photon echo arises exclusively due to collisions between atoms of ytterbium and buffer gases; its power depends non-monotonously on the buffer pressure, and the echo polarizations coincides with the polarization of the first exciting pulse of radiation.
The modified stimulated photon echo is proposed as a method for the investigation of elastic collisions of excited atoms with non-excited foreign gas atoms, which induce the redistribution of the excited atoms in Zeeman sublevels. Such collisions cause the difference in the population, orientation and alignment relaxation times of a resonant level. It is shown that the proper choice of mutual orientation of the exciting-light polarisation vectors makes it possible to determine the relaxation times for the population, orientation and alignment of a resonant level. It is found that the formulae, derived in the limit of exciting-pulse small areas, are the most attractive for spectroscopic purposes, as in this case the polarisation properties of the modified stimulated photon echo do not depend on the exciting-pulse shapes, nor on their areas. A detailed discussion of the experimental results of Hartmann and collaborators (1979) and of Keller and Le Gouet (1984), mainly concerned with the investigation of the modified stimulated photon echoes in gases, is carried out.
Isotropic depolarizing collisions are studied using a stimulated photon echo with a specific polarization of the excitation radiation pulses in a mixture of ytterbium with krypton for the J = 1 ⇄ J = 0 transition of 174Yb. The difference between the relaxation rates of orientation and alignment γ (2) − γ (1) of the 3 P 1(6s6p) 174Yb level is measured as a function of the krypton pressure. The collision photon echo at the J = 1 ⇄ J = 0 transition induced by the anisotropic relaxation is studied for the Yb + Xe mixture. The power of the collision echo increases from zero with the addition of a buffer gas to ytterbium, reaches an optimal level, and decreases with an increase in the buffer gas pressure. The polarization of this collision-induced echo differs from the polarization of the conventional echo. The experimental results are in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions.
The method of stimulated photon echo with specially chosen linear polarizations of the pumping pulses of coherent resonant radiation is applied for the investigation of collisional decay of orientation and alignment in the molecular gas SF6 and its mixtures with buffers He and Xe. These relaxation rates are measured as a function of longitudinal velocities. Within the experiment accuracy, no remarkable velocity dependence of the depolarizing collisions rates was detected. This result confirms conventional approach of the depolarizing collisions theoretical treatment. In pure SF6 the rates of elastic depolarizing collisions for orientation and alignment proved smaller than the known rate of velocity changing collisions. It means that only part of the elastic collisions participates in destroying of the level multipole moments.
First proposal is made to measure the ratio of stimulated photon echo power corresponding to two different mutual orientations of exciting pulses polarizations as a function of the buffer gas pressure to extract the spectroscopic information concerning the relaxation rates difference of orientation and alignment from these measurements. The absolute value of the difference between relaxation characteristics |γb (1)-γb (2)| corresponding to orientation and alignment of 3P1 (6s6p) level of 174Yb due to it's collisions with krypton atoms is measured. The fact of the difference between orientation and alignment relaxation rates is reliably stated.