Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:physics/0308054 · Journal of Optics A Pure and Applied Optics

Sub-Doppler spectroscopy of Rb atoms in a sub-micron vapour cell in the presence of a magnetic field

David G. Sarkisyan, A. Papoyan, T. Varzhapetyan, Jānis Alnis, Kaspars Blushs, Marcis P. Auzinsh

Published Feb 24, 2004• 16 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We report the first use of an extremely thin vapor cell (thickness ~ 400 nm) to study the magnetic-field dependence of laser-induced-fluorescence excitation spectra of alkali atoms. This thin cell allows for sub-Doppler resolution without the complexity of atomic beam or laser cooling techniques. This technique is used to study the laser-induced-fluorescence excitation spectra of Rb in a 50 G magnetic field. At this field strength the electronic angular momentum J and nuclear angular momentum I are only partially decoupled. As a result of the mixing of wavefunctions of different hyperfine states, we observe a nonlinear Zeeman effect for each sublevel, a substantial modification of the transition probabilities between different magnetic sublevels, and the appearance of transitions that are strictly forbidden in the absence of the magnetic field. For the case of right- and left- handed circularly polarized laser excitation, the fluorescence spectra differs qualitatively. Well pronounced magnetic field induced circular dichroism is observed. These observations are explained with a standard approach that describes the partial decoupling of I and J states.

DOI
10.1088/1464-4258/6/3/023

Related papers

Fluorescence of rubidium in a submicrometer vapor cell: spectral resolution of atomic transitions between Zeeman sublevels in a moderate magnetic field

David G. Sarkisyan, A. Papoyan, T. Varzhapetyan +2 more

It is experimentally demonstrated that use of an extremely thin cell (ETC) with the thickness of a Rb atomic vapor column of ∼400 nm allows one to resolve a large number of individual transitions between Zeeman sublevels of the D1 line of 87Rb and 85Rb in the sub-Doppler fluorescence excitation spectra in an external magnetic field of ∼200 G. It is revealed that due to the peculiarities of the Zeeman effect for different hyperfine levels of Rb, all allowed transitions between magnetic sublevels can be clearly resolved for 87RbF_g = 1 --> F_e = 1, 2 and F_g = 2 --> F_e = 1, 2 fluorescence excitation. Also, relatively good spectral resolution can be achieved for 85RbF_g = 2 --> F_e = 2, 3 fluorescence excitation. Some partial resolution of transitions between magnetic sublevels is achieved for 85RbF_g = 3 --> F_e = 2, 3 fluorescence excitation. The spectral resolution of individual transitions allows one to easily observe both linear and nonlinear Zeeman effects in the fluorescence excitation spectra obtained with the help of the ETC. In the fluorescence spectra of a cell of usual length there is no evidence of a spectral resolution of individual transitions at B ∼ 200 G. A simple magnetometer based on ETC with Rb with a submicrometer spatial resolution is described.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Jan 1, 2005•25 citations

Zeeman effect on the hyperfine structure of the D 1 line of a submicron layer of 87Rb vapor

David G. Sarkisyan, A. Papoyan, T. Varzhapetyan +2 more

An extremely thin cell with a wedge gap was developed that makes it possible to form a column of Rb atom vapor with thickness in the range from 100 to 600 nm. It is experimentally shown that the use of this cell, along with commercially available diode lasers, allows one to spectrally resolve individual transitions between the Zeeman sublevels of the hyperfine structure of the 87Rb D 1 line (transitions F g =1, 2→F e =1, 2) in the resonance fluorescence spectrum in the presence of an external magnetic field (B≈200 G). This makes it possible to realize systems consisting of nondegenerate atomic levels. For comparison, it is shown that transitions between the Zeeman sublevels in the fluorescence spectrum obtained with the aid of a conventional cell (1–10 cm long) in an external magnetic field with B∼200 G remain completely masked by the Doppler-broadened profile. The results obtained can be used for the creation of a simple magnetometer based on an extremely thin cell with Rb vapor for the measurement of magnetic fields with a submicron local spatial resolution.

Optics and Spectroscopy•Mar 23, 2004•10 citations

QUANTITATIVE SPECTROSCOPY OF Rb ATOMS IN STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD BASED ON SUBMICRON THIN VAPOUR.

G. Hakhumyan, David G. Sarkisyan, Claude Leroy +2 more

The energy levels of atoms placed in an external magnetic field undergo frequency shifts and changes in their transition probabilities. It is demonstrated that using fluorescence spectra from a submicron thin vapour cell (STC) with the thickness L = λ/2, it is possible to efficiently study the above mentioned changes (“half-λ Zeeman technique” (HLZT)). The circularly polarized beam of extended-cavity diode laser (λ = 794 nm, laser bandwidth γL < 1 MHz) resonant with 87Rb D1 transition, after passing through Faraday isolator is directed onto the Rb STC with the thickness L = λ/2. The temperature of the STC is 120 °C, corresponding to N ~ 1013 atom/cm3. STC was provided by a special oven with 3 openings: 2 inlets for laser beam passage, and one orthogonal inlet for side fluorescence detection. This geometry allows simultaneous recording of fluorescence and transmission spectra. STC with the oven is placed between two strong permanent ring magnets and by changing the distance between them it is possible to form a strong magnetic field up to 4500 G. In [1], “λ-Zeeman technique” (LZT) is shown to be efficient to study individual transitions between the Zeeman sublevels of hyperfine levels in an external magnetic field up to 2400 G. LZT uses STC with thickness L = λ, where λ is 794 nm (780 nm) for D1 line (D2 line) of Rb. Narrow velocity selective optical pumping/saturation (VSOP) resonances in the transmission spectrum of the STC are split into several components in the magnetic field; their frequency positions and probabilities depend on the B-field. We present comparison of HLZT and LZT in a wide region of magnetic fields up to 4500 G. We present the fluorescence spectrum for L = λ/2 and the transmission spectrum for L = λ. The VSOP resonances in the LZT-curve are narrower meanwhile the advantage of HLZT is that the fluorescence appears on a flat background. Applications such as magnetometer with high spatial resolution and the theoretical model describing well the experiment will be presented.

•Jul 5, 2010•0 citations

Features of alkali D2 line magnetically-induced transitions excited under π-polarized laser radiation

Armen D. Sargsyan, Emmanuel Klinger, A. Amiryan +1 more

The impact of the optical field polarization on the spectrum of magnetically-induced transitions, a class of transitions forbidden at zero magnetic field, is studied with a weak-probe sub-Doppler technique. The high spectral resolution of the technique combined with the simplicity in interpreting the observed spectra allows to follow the behavior of individual transitions as a function of the magnetic field amplitude. We observe only one intense transition (out of 2 F g + 1 , where F is the quantum number associated with the total angular momentum of the atom) in the case of π -polarized laser radiation (a configuration where the applied magnetic field is parallel to the electric field from the laser radiation) in the F g → F g + 2 manifolds of 85 Rb, 87 Rb and 133 Cs for fields above a few hundreds of gauss. We show that this behavior is in agreement with a model based on the diagonalization of the Zeeman Hamiltonian matrix. With the rapid development of micro-machined vapor-cell-based sensors, these results will be of use to magnetometers operating above Earth field, wide-range laser frequency stabilization systems and atomic Faraday filters. • Magnetically-induced transitions of Rb and Cs D2 lines are studied with π -polarization. • An anomalous behavior of magnetically-induced transition intensities is observed. • These features are studied with a high spectral resolution technique based on nanocell. • Observed features, well described by theory, are expected for all other alkali transitions.

arXiv:2406.15607•Physics Letters A•Feb 20, 2025•7 citations

Study of the Rb D 2-line splitting in a strong transverse magnetic field with Doppler-free spectroscopy in a nanocell

Armen D. Sargsyan, G. Hakhumyan, A. Tonoyan +2 more

Atomic transitions of 85Rb and 87Rb isotopes in a strong transverse magnetic field with induction of up to 7 kG have been studied experimentally. High spectral resolution is achieved owing to the application of the linear Doppler-free spectroscopy method to a nanometric thin cell with the thickness of L = λ/2 = 390 nm, where λ is the wavelength of laser emission tuned to the resonance with the Rb D 2-line (λ/2-method). It has been observed that the number of atomic transitions in the transmission spectrum of linearly polarized (π) radiation decreases from 64 down to 20 transitions as the field strength increases above B > 5 kG. Four atomic transitions (two of 85Rb and two of 87Rb), which are forbidden in the absence of magnetic field, acquire significant strength in the strong magnetic field. Experimental results are in a good agreement with theory. Several practical applications of alkali-vapor-filled nanometric thin cells have been proposed.

Optics and Spectroscopy•Aug 1, 2015•4 citations

Magnetic field-induced mixing of hyperfine states of Cs 6 2^P_{3/2} level observed with a sub-micron vapor cell

A. Papoyan, David G. Sarkisyan, Kaspars Blushs +3 more

The fluorescence spectra of a sub-micron atomic cesium vapor layer observable under resonant excitation on D2 line have been studied in the presence of an external magnetic field. Substantial changes in amplitudes and frequency positions of the individual (resolved) hyperfine transitions have been recorded in moderate magnetic fields (up to ~ 50 Gauss). These features are caused by mixing of the hyperfine states of the upper level resulting from comparable values of the hyperfine splitting of the 62^P_{3/2} manifold and Larmor frequencies of the magnetic sublevels. The results of simulation show a good agreement with the experimental spectra. Possible application of the results for high spatial resolution magnetometry is discussed.

arXiv:physics/0308055•Aug 14, 2003•3 citations
We report the first use of an extremely thin vapor cell (thickness ~ 400 nm) to study the magnetic-field dependence of laser-induced-fluorescence excitation spectra of alkali atoms. This thin cell allows for sub-Doppler resolution without the complexity of atomic beam or laser cooling techniques. This technique is used to study the laser-induced-fluorescence excitation spectra of Rb in a 50 G magnetic field. At this field strength the electronic angular momentum J and nuclear angular momentum I are only partially decoupled. As a result of the mixing of wavefunctions of different hyperfine states, we observe a nonlinear Zeeman effect for each sublevel, a substantial modification of the transition probabilities between different magnetic sublevels, and the appearance of transitions that are strictly forbidden in the absence of the magnetic field. For the case of right- and left- handed circularly polarized laser excitation, the fluorescence spectra differs qualitatively. Well pronounced magnetic field induced circular dichroism is observed. These observations are explained with a standard approach that describes the partial decoupling of I and J states.
It is experimentally demonstrated that use of an extremely thin cell (ETC) with the thickness of a Rb atomic vapor column of ∼400 nm allows one to resolve a large number of individual transitions between Zeeman sublevels of the D1 line of 87Rb and 85Rb in the sub-Doppler fluorescence excitation spectra in an external magnetic field of ∼200 G. It is revealed that due to the peculiarities of the Zeeman effect for different hyperfine levels of Rb, all allowed transitions between magnetic sublevels can be clearly resolved for 87RbF_g = 1 --> F_e = 1, 2 and F_g = 2 --> F_e = 1, 2 fluorescence excitation. Also, relatively good spectral resolution can be achieved for 85RbF_g = 2 --> F_e = 2, 3 fluorescence excitation. Some partial resolution of transitions between magnetic sublevels is achieved for 85RbF_g = 3 --> F_e = 2, 3 fluorescence excitation. The spectral resolution of individual transitions allows one to easily observe both linear and nonlinear Zeeman effects in the fluorescence excitation spectra obtained with the help of the ETC. In the fluorescence spectra of a cell of usual length there is no evidence of a spectral resolution of individual transitions at B ∼ 200 G. A simple magnetometer based on ETC with Rb with a submicrometer spatial resolution is described.
An extremely thin cell with a wedge gap was developed that makes it possible to form a column of Rb atom vapor with thickness in the range from 100 to 600 nm. It is experimentally shown that the use of this cell, along with commercially available diode lasers, allows one to spectrally resolve individual transitions between the Zeeman sublevels of the hyperfine structure of the 87Rb D 1 line (transitions F g =1, 2→F e =1, 2) in the resonance fluorescence spectrum in the presence of an external magnetic field (B≈200 G). This makes it possible to realize systems consisting of nondegenerate atomic levels. For comparison, it is shown that transitions between the Zeeman sublevels in the fluorescence spectrum obtained with the aid of a conventional cell (1–10 cm long) in an external magnetic field with B∼200 G remain completely masked by the Doppler-broadened profile. The results obtained can be used for the creation of a simple magnetometer based on an extremely thin cell with Rb vapor for the measurement of magnetic fields with a submicron local spatial resolution.
The energy levels of atoms placed in an external magnetic field undergo frequency shifts and changes in their transition probabilities. It is demonstrated that using fluorescence spectra from a submicron thin vapour cell (STC) with the thickness L = λ/2, it is possible to efficiently study the above mentioned changes (“half-λ Zeeman technique” (HLZT)). The circularly polarized beam of extended-cavity diode laser (λ = 794 nm, laser bandwidth γL < 1 MHz) resonant with 87Rb D1 transition, after passing through Faraday isolator is directed onto the Rb STC with the thickness L = λ/2. The temperature of the STC is 120 °C, corresponding to N ~ 1013 atom/cm3. STC was provided by a special oven with 3 openings: 2 inlets for laser beam passage, and one orthogonal inlet for side fluorescence detection. This geometry allows simultaneous recording of fluorescence and transmission spectra. STC with the oven is placed between two strong permanent ring magnets and by changing the distance between them it is possible to form a strong magnetic field up to 4500 G. In [1], “λ-Zeeman technique” (LZT) is shown to be efficient to study individual transitions between the Zeeman sublevels of hyperfine levels in an external magnetic field up to 2400 G. LZT uses STC with thickness L = λ, where λ is 794 nm (780 nm) for D1 line (D2 line) of Rb. Narrow velocity selective optical pumping/saturation (VSOP) resonances in the transmission spectrum of the STC are split into several components in the magnetic field; their frequency positions and probabilities depend on the B-field. We present comparison of HLZT and LZT in a wide region of magnetic fields up to 4500 G. We present the fluorescence spectrum for L = λ/2 and the transmission spectrum for L = λ. The VSOP resonances in the LZT-curve are narrower meanwhile the advantage of HLZT is that the fluorescence appears on a flat background. Applications such as magnetometer with high spatial resolution and the theoretical model describing well the experiment will be presented.
The impact of the optical field polarization on the spectrum of magnetically-induced transitions, a class of transitions forbidden at zero magnetic field, is studied with a weak-probe sub-Doppler technique. The high spectral resolution of the technique combined with the simplicity in interpreting the observed spectra allows to follow the behavior of individual transitions as a function of the magnetic field amplitude. We observe only one intense transition (out of 2 F g + 1 , where F is the quantum number associated with the total angular momentum of the atom) in the case of π -polarized laser radiation (a configuration where the applied magnetic field is parallel to the electric field from the laser radiation) in the F g → F g + 2 manifolds of 85 Rb, 87 Rb and 133 Cs for fields above a few hundreds of gauss. We show that this behavior is in agreement with a model based on the diagonalization of the Zeeman Hamiltonian matrix. With the rapid development of micro-machined vapor-cell-based sensors, these results will be of use to magnetometers operating above Earth field, wide-range laser frequency stabilization systems and atomic Faraday filters. • Magnetically-induced transitions of Rb and Cs D2 lines are studied with π -polarization. • An anomalous behavior of magnetically-induced transition intensities is observed. • These features are studied with a high spectral resolution technique based on nanocell. • Observed features, well described by theory, are expected for all other alkali transitions.
Atomic transitions of 85Rb and 87Rb isotopes in a strong transverse magnetic field with induction of up to 7 kG have been studied experimentally. High spectral resolution is achieved owing to the application of the linear Doppler-free spectroscopy method to a nanometric thin cell with the thickness of L = λ/2 = 390 nm, where λ is the wavelength of laser emission tuned to the resonance with the Rb D 2-line (λ/2-method). It has been observed that the number of atomic transitions in the transmission spectrum of linearly polarized (π) radiation decreases from 64 down to 20 transitions as the field strength increases above B > 5 kG. Four atomic transitions (two of 85Rb and two of 87Rb), which are forbidden in the absence of magnetic field, acquire significant strength in the strong magnetic field. Experimental results are in a good agreement with theory. Several practical applications of alkali-vapor-filled nanometric thin cells have been proposed.
The fluorescence spectra of a sub-micron atomic cesium vapor layer observable under resonant excitation on D2 line have been studied in the presence of an external magnetic field. Substantial changes in amplitudes and frequency positions of the individual (resolved) hyperfine transitions have been recorded in moderate magnetic fields (up to ~ 50 Gauss). These features are caused by mixing of the hyperfine states of the upper level resulting from comparable values of the hyperfine splitting of the 62^P_{3/2} manifold and Larmor frequencies of the magnetic sublevels. The results of simulation show a good agreement with the experimental spectra. Possible application of the results for high spatial resolution magnetometry is discussed.