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arXiv:physics/0607061 · Physical Review A

Nonlinear magneto-optical rotation and Zeeman and hyperfine relaxation of potassium atoms in a paraffin-coated cell

Jennie Guzman, Adam M. Wojciechowski, J. E. Stalnaker, K.V. Tsigutkin, Valeriy V. Yashchuk, Dmitry Budker

Published Nov 21, 2006• 34 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Nonlinear magneto-optical Faraday rotation (NMOR) on the potassium D1 and D2 lines was used to study Zeeman relaxation rates in an antirelaxation paraffin-coated $3\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{cm}$-diameter potassium vapor cell. Intrinsic Zeeman relaxation rates of ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{NMOR}∕2\ensuremath{\pi}=2.0(6)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ were observed. The relatively small hyperfine intervals in potassium lead to significant differences in NMOR in potassium compared to rubidium and cesium. Using laser optical pumping, widths and frequency shifts were also determined for transitions between ground-state hyperfine sublevels of $^{39}\mathrm{K}$ atoms contained in the same paraffin-coated cell. The intrinsic hyperfine relaxation rate of ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{\mathit{expt}}^{\mathit{hf}}∕2\ensuremath{\pi}=10.6(7)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ and a shift of $\ensuremath{-}9.1(2)\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Hz}$ were observed. These results show that adiabatic relaxation gives only a small contribution to the overall hyperfine relaxation in the case of potassium, and the relaxation is dominated by other mechanisms similar to those observed in previous studies with rubidium.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.74.053415

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Using laser optical pumping, widths and frequency shifts are determined for microwave transitions between ground-state hyperfine components of {sup 85}Rb and {sup 87}Rb atoms contained in vapor cells with alkane anti-relaxation coatings. The results are compared with data on Zeeman relaxation obtained in nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR) experiments, a comparison important for quantitative understanding of spin-relaxation mechanisms in coated cells. By comparing cells manufactured over a forty-year period we demonstrate the long-term stability of coated cells, an important property for atomic clocks and magnetometers.
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Atomic spin polarization of alkali atoms in the ground-state can survive thousands of collisions with paraffin-coated cell walls. The resulting long spin-relaxation times achieved in evacuated, paraffin-coated cells enable precise measurement of atomic spin precession and energy shifts of ground-state Zeeman sublevels. In the present work, nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with frequency-modulated light (FM NMOR) is used to measure magnetic field-induced spin precession for rubidium atoms contained in a paraffin-coated cell. The magnetometric sensitivity of FM NMOR for the rubidium D2 line is studied as a function of light power, detuning, frequency-modulation amplitude, and rubidium vapor density. For a 5-cm-diameter cell at temperature T≈35 °C, the optimal shot-noise-projected magnetometric sensitivity is found to be 2×10−11 G/Hz (corresponding to a sensitivity to spin precession frequency of ≈10 μHz/Hz or a sensitivity to Zeeman sublevel shifts of ≈4×10−20 eV/Hz).
An alkene-based antirelaxation coating for alkali-metal vapor cells exhibiting Zeeman relaxation times up to 77 s was recently identified by Balabas et al. The long relaxation times, two orders of magnitude longer than in paraffin- (alkane-) coated cells, motivate revisiting the question of what the mechanism is underlying wall-collision-induced relaxation and renew interest in applications of alkali-metal vapor cells to secondary frequency standards. We measure the width and frequency shift of the ground-state hyperfine $m{}_{F}=0\ensuremath{\rightarrow}m{}_{F}^{\ensuremath{'}}=0$ transition (clock resonance) in vapor cells with 85{}^{85}85Rb and 87{}^{87}87Rb atoms, with an alkene antirelaxation coating. We find that the frequency shift is slightly larger than for paraffin-coated cells and that the Zeeman linewidth scales linearly with the hyperfine frequency shift.