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arXiv:physics/0701303 · Laser Physics

Selective reflection spectroscopy on the UV third-resonance line of Cs: Simultaneous probing of a van der Waals atom-surface interaction sensitive to far IR couplings and interatomic collisions

P. Chaves de Souza Segundo, I. Hamdi, M. Fichet, Daniel Bloch, M. Ducloy

Published Jul 1, 2007• 23 citations
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Abstract

We report on the analysis of FM selective reflection experiments on the 6S 1/2 → 8P 3/2 transition of Cs at 388 nm, and on the measurement of the surface van der Waals interaction exerted by a sapphire interface on Cs(8P 3/2). Various improvements in the systematic fitting of the experiments have permitted us to supersede the major difficulty of a severe overlap of the hyperfine components, originating, on the one hand, in a relatively small natural structure, and, on the other hand, on a large pressure broadening imposed by the high atomic density needed for the observation of selective reflection on a weak transition. The strength of the van der Waals surface interaction is evaluated to be 73 ± 10 kHz µm3. An evaluation of the pressure shift of the transition is also provided as a by-product of the measurement. Finally, we discuss the significance of an apparent disagreement between the experimental measurement of the surface interaction, and the theoretical value calculated for an electromagnetic vacuum at a null temperature. The possible influence of the thermal excitation of the surface is evoked, because the dominant contributions to the van der Waals interaction for Cs(8P 3/2) lie in the far-infrared range.

DOI
10.1134/s1054660x07070134

Related papers

Selective Reflection Spectroscopy on the UV Third Resonance Line of Cs : Simultaneous Probing of a van der Waals Atom-Surface Interaction Sensitive to Far IR Couplings and of Interatomic Collisions

P. Chaves de Souza Segundo, I. Hamdi, M. Fichet +2 more

We report on the analysis of FM selective reflection experiments on the 6S1/2->8P3/2 transition of Cs at 388 nm, and on the measurement of the surface van der Waals interaction exerted by a sapphire interface on Cs(8P3/2). Various improvements in the systematic fitting of the experiments have permitted to supersede the major difficulty of a severe overlap of the hyperfine components, originating on the one hand in a relatively small natural structure, and on the other hand on a large pressure broadening imposed by the high atomic density needed for the observation of selective reflection on a weak transition. The strength of the van der Waals surface interaction is evaluated to be 73±10 kHz.µm3. An evaluation of the pressure shift of the transition is also provided as a by-product of the measurement. We finally discuss the significance of an apparent disagreement between the experimental measurement of the surface interaction, and the theoretical value calculated for an electromagnetic vacuum at a null temperature. The possible influence of the thermal excitation of the surface is evoked, because, the dominant contributions to the vW interaction for Cs(8P3/2) lie in the far infrared range.

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Probing the van der Waals atom-surface interaction in the non-zero temperature limit

I. Hamdi, P. Chaves de Souza Segundo, G. Dutier +7 more

This reports on the surface attraction exerted onto Cs(8P), as measured through the selective reflection spectroscopy (SR) technique via a one- photon excitation at 388 nm from the ground state. In a series of experiments on the Cs (6S/sub 1/2/-8P/sub 3/2/) transition in front of a sapphire surface, the accuracy in the van der Waals evaluation, and with an improved fitting method, should be on the order of 10%. Further developments, expected to be reported too, concern the fine structure component Cs (6S/sub 1/2/-8P/sub 3/2/) , along with a study of SR spectroscopy at various interfaces.

European Quantum Electronics Conference (EQEC)•Jan 1, 2003•0 citations

High resolution selective reflection spectroscopy as a probe of long-range surface interaction : measurement of the surface van der Waals attraction exerted on excited Cs atoms

Martine Chevrollier, Mich�le Fichet, Marcos Oriá +3 more

Selective reflection spectroscopy at an interface with a low-density resonant vapor, especially when combined with a frequency modulation technique, is a high-resolution Doppler-free tool for probing atoms interacting with a surface. We analyze different types of relevant surface interaction, emphasizing the spectral consequences of a van der Waals surface attraction associated to a $z^{-3}$ potential dependence ($z$: distance to the wall). We present detailed results of two series of experiments at a Cs vapor/dielectric window interface on the 6S$_{1/2}$-6P$_{3/2}$ ($\lambda = 852$ nm) resonance line and on the 6S$_{1/2}$-7P second resonance line ($\lambda = 455$ nm and 459 nm). Lineshape analysis at various pressures consistently shows that a van der Waals-type surface attraction has to be considered to interpret strong lineshape distortions and resonance shift. The attractive strengths are found to be equal respectively to $\approx 2$ kHz $\mu$m$^3$ and $\approx 20$ kHz $\mu$m$^3$, independently of the considered hyperfine component, within the experimental accuracy. It yields also typical parameters of pressure broadening and shift, which are shown to originate in collisional processes, at densities where the medium is opaque. Theoretical expectations for the VW strength are discussed on the basis of the results of atomic theory. The predicted values are smaller, by a typical factor of 2, than those deduced from the experiments. The validity of the theory, when applied to a dielectric interface, is discussed and seems questionable when the frequency of virtual atomic transitions involved in the van der Waals attraction potential lies in the dielectric window absorption range.

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Van der Waals-induced spectral distortions in selective-reflection spectroscopy of Cs vapor: the strong atom–surface interaction regime

Martine Chevrollier, Daniel Bloch, G. Rahmat +1 more

Frequency-modulated selective-reflection spectroscopy of the 6S-7P Cs resonance line yields Doppler-free anomalous line shapes that we demonstrate to be fully dominated by the long-range atom-surface interaction potential. The spatial inhomogeneous broadening of the observed line shapes, as well as its dependence on the pressure, the nature of the dielectric window, and the light incidence angle, is fully interpreted with a z(-3) van der Waals attraction model. These experiments clearly prove the feasibility of a spectral analysis of atom-surface interactions.

Optics Letters•Dec 1, 1991•42 citations

Temperature dependence of the atom-surface interaction in thermal equilibrium

Athanasios Laliotis, Thierry Passerat de Silans, Isabelle Maurin +3 more

Summary form only given. Experimental studies of the atom-surface or surface-surface interactions provide a physical insight on the interaction of quantum bodies with the fluctuating vacuum. They can be of great practical interest in the ever expanding field of nanotechnologies. In particular the dependence of the Casimir and Casimir-Polder interaction on the thermal fluctuations is a fundamental effect that could in the future provide a useful knob for tuning these interactions. Temperature effects are usually very small and have so far been observed on a BEC placed 6-10 μm away from a fused-silica substrate due to an out of thermal equilibrium enhancement. Here we report on spectroscopic selective reflection measurements of the interaction between a Cs (7D3/2) atom and a sapphire surface. A virtual coupling between a surface resonance of sapphire at 12.1 μm and the Cs 7D3/2Æ5F5/2 transition at 10.8 μm almost eliminates the resonant contribution for this dipole transition. Reaching the temperatures required to observe an effect is extremely challenging. For this reason our experiment is performed in an all-sapphire vapour cell with super polished windows with an annealing post-treatment. The interaction is probed up to unusually high temperatures reaching more than 1000 K. Experimental measurements show C3coefficient as a function of temperature compared to a full QED calculation. Each point is deduced by fitting reflection spectra to a theoretical model and is averaged for different vapour densities and different spots on the window. Statistical and systematic uncertainties have been reduced compared to our previous experiments performed on a different all-sapphire cell with windows of uncertain surface quality. The chemical stability of sapphire under these extreme conditions seems to be a key factor for this experimental achievement. Previous measurements between Cs (8P3/2) and a CaF2surface in a specially designed cell were unsuccessful due to chemical deterioration of the surface. This experiment is the first to provide a sensitive measurement of temperature effects on the atom-surface interaction in thermal equilibrium and highlights the QED nature of van der Waals regime.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•May 1, 2013•1 citation

Spectral Observation of Surface-Induced Van der Waals Attraction on Atomic Vapour

Marcos Oriá, Martine Chevrollier, Daniel Bloch +2 more

Red frequency shift and line asymmetry have been observed in selective reflection spectroscopy at a dielectric/Cs-vapour interface, which have been attributed to surface-induced Van der Waals attraction. This opens the way to studying surface interaction on low-lying, short-lived, excited states.

Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Mar 15, 1991•104 citations
We report on the analysis of FM selective reflection experiments on the 6S 1/2 → 8P 3/2 transition of Cs at 388 nm, and on the measurement of the surface van der Waals interaction exerted by a sapphire interface on Cs(8P 3/2). Various improvements in the systematic fitting of the experiments have permitted us to supersede the major difficulty of a severe overlap of the hyperfine components, originating, on the one hand, in a relatively small natural structure, and, on the other hand, on a large pressure broadening imposed by the high atomic density needed for the observation of selective reflection on a weak transition. The strength of the van der Waals surface interaction is evaluated to be 73 ± 10 kHz µm3. An evaluation of the pressure shift of the transition is also provided as a by-product of the measurement. Finally, we discuss the significance of an apparent disagreement between the experimental measurement of the surface interaction, and the theoretical value calculated for an electromagnetic vacuum at a null temperature. The possible influence of the thermal excitation of the surface is evoked, because the dominant contributions to the van der Waals interaction for Cs(8P 3/2) lie in the far-infrared range.
We report on the analysis of FM selective reflection experiments on the 6S1/2->8P3/2 transition of Cs at 388 nm, and on the measurement of the surface van der Waals interaction exerted by a sapphire interface on Cs(8P3/2). Various improvements in the systematic fitting of the experiments have permitted to supersede the major difficulty of a severe overlap of the hyperfine components, originating on the one hand in a relatively small natural structure, and on the other hand on a large pressure broadening imposed by the high atomic density needed for the observation of selective reflection on a weak transition. The strength of the van der Waals surface interaction is evaluated to be 73±10 kHz.µm3. An evaluation of the pressure shift of the transition is also provided as a by-product of the measurement. We finally discuss the significance of an apparent disagreement between the experimental measurement of the surface interaction, and the theoretical value calculated for an electromagnetic vacuum at a null temperature. The possible influence of the thermal excitation of the surface is evoked, because, the dominant contributions to the vW interaction for Cs(8P3/2) lie in the far infrared range.
This reports on the surface attraction exerted onto Cs(8P), as measured through the selective reflection spectroscopy (SR) technique via a one- photon excitation at 388 nm from the ground state. In a series of experiments on the Cs (6S/sub 1/2/-8P/sub 3/2/) transition in front of a sapphire surface, the accuracy in the van der Waals evaluation, and with an improved fitting method, should be on the order of 10%. Further developments, expected to be reported too, concern the fine structure component Cs (6S/sub 1/2/-8P/sub 3/2/) , along with a study of SR spectroscopy at various interfaces.
Selective reflection spectroscopy at an interface with a low-density resonant vapor, especially when combined with a frequency modulation technique, is a high-resolution Doppler-free tool for probing atoms interacting with a surface. We analyze different types of relevant surface interaction, emphasizing the spectral consequences of a van der Waals surface attraction associated to a z−3z^{-3}z−3 potential dependence (zzz: distance to the wall). We present detailed results of two series of experiments at a Cs vapor/dielectric window interface on the 6S1/2_{1/2}1/2​-6P3/2_{3/2}3/2​ (λ=852\lambda = 852λ=852 nm) resonance line and on the 6S1/2_{1/2}1/2​-7P second resonance line (λ=455\lambda = 455λ=455 nm and 459 nm). Lineshape analysis at various pressures consistently shows that a van der Waals-type surface attraction has to be considered to interpret strong lineshape distortions and resonance shift. The attractive strengths are found to be equal respectively to ≈2\approx 2≈2 kHz μ\muμm3^33 and ≈20\approx 20≈20 kHz μ\muμm3^33, independently of the considered hyperfine component, within the experimental accuracy. It yields also typical parameters of pressure broadening and shift, which are shown to originate in collisional processes, at densities where the medium is opaque. Theoretical expectations for the VW strength are discussed on the basis of the results of atomic theory. The predicted values are smaller, by a typical factor of 2, than those deduced from the experiments. The validity of the theory, when applied to a dielectric interface, is discussed and seems questionable when the frequency of virtual atomic transitions involved in the van der Waals attraction potential lies in the dielectric window absorption range.
Frequency-modulated selective-reflection spectroscopy of the 6S-7P Cs resonance line yields Doppler-free anomalous line shapes that we demonstrate to be fully dominated by the long-range atom-surface interaction potential. The spatial inhomogeneous broadening of the observed line shapes, as well as its dependence on the pressure, the nature of the dielectric window, and the light incidence angle, is fully interpreted with a z(-3) van der Waals attraction model. These experiments clearly prove the feasibility of a spectral analysis of atom-surface interactions.
Summary form only given. Experimental studies of the atom-surface or surface-surface interactions provide a physical insight on the interaction of quantum bodies with the fluctuating vacuum. They can be of great practical interest in the ever expanding field of nanotechnologies. In particular the dependence of the Casimir and Casimir-Polder interaction on the thermal fluctuations is a fundamental effect that could in the future provide a useful knob for tuning these interactions. Temperature effects are usually very small and have so far been observed on a BEC placed 6-10 μm away from a fused-silica substrate due to an out of thermal equilibrium enhancement. Here we report on spectroscopic selective reflection measurements of the interaction between a Cs (7D3/2) atom and a sapphire surface. A virtual coupling between a surface resonance of sapphire at 12.1 μm and the Cs 7D3/2Æ5F5/2 transition at 10.8 μm almost eliminates the resonant contribution for this dipole transition. Reaching the temperatures required to observe an effect is extremely challenging. For this reason our experiment is performed in an all-sapphire vapour cell with super polished windows with an annealing post-treatment. The interaction is probed up to unusually high temperatures reaching more than 1000 K. Experimental measurements show C3coefficient as a function of temperature compared to a full QED calculation. Each point is deduced by fitting reflection spectra to a theoretical model and is averaged for different vapour densities and different spots on the window. Statistical and systematic uncertainties have been reduced compared to our previous experiments performed on a different all-sapphire cell with windows of uncertain surface quality. The chemical stability of sapphire under these extreme conditions seems to be a key factor for this experimental achievement. Previous measurements between Cs (8P3/2) and a CaF2surface in a specially designed cell were unsuccessful due to chemical deterioration of the surface. This experiment is the first to provide a sensitive measurement of temperature effects on the atom-surface interaction in thermal equilibrium and highlights the QED nature of van der Waals regime.