Transformation of electromagnetically induced transparency into absorption in a thermal potassium optical cell with spin preserving coating

We report a new experimental approach where an order of magnitude enhancement of the electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) resonance contrast, thus making it similar to that of the EIT resonance contrast is observed under the same conditions. The EIA signal results from the interaction of a weak probe beam with a ground state that has been driven by the pump (counter-propagating) beam. Probe absorption spectra are presented where the laser frequency is slowly detuned over the D 1 line of 39 K vapor contained in a cell with a PDMS antirelaxation coating. In addition to the frequency detuning, a magnetic field orthogonal to the laser beams is scanned around zero value at a higher rate. With both laser beams linearly polarized, an EIT resonance is observed. However, changing the pump beam polarization from linear to circular reverses the resonance signal from EIT to EIA

Optical characterization of antirelaxation coatings

Antirelaxation coatings (ARC) are used in optical cells containing alkali metal vapor to reduce the depolarization of alkali atoms after collisions with the cell walls. The long-lived ground state polarization is a basis for development of atomic clocks, magnetometers, quantum memory, slow light experiments, precision measurements of fundamental symmetries etc. In this work, a simple method for measuring the number of collisions of the alkali atoms with the cell walls without atomic spin randomization (Nasyrov et al., Proc. SPIE (2015)) was applied to characterize the AR properties of two PDMS coatings prepared from different solutions in ether (PDMS 2% and PDMS 5%). We observed influence of the light-induced atomic desorption (LIAD) on the AR properties of coatings

Saturation effects in the sub-Doppler spectroscopy of Cesium vapor confined in an Extremely Thin Cell

Saturation effects affecting absorption and fluorescence spectra of an atomic vapor confined in an Extremely Thin Cell (cell thickness $L < 1 \mu m$) are investigated experimentally and theoretically. The study is performed on the $D_{2}$ line ($\lambda ~= ~852 nm)$ of $Cs$ and concentrates on the two situations $L = \lambda /2$ and $L =\lambda$, the most contrasted ones with respect to the length dependence of the coherent Dicke narrowing. For $L = \lambda /2$, the Dicke-narrowed absorption profile simply broadens and saturates in amplitude when increasing the light intensity, while for $L =\lambda$, sub-Doppler dips of reduced absorption at line-center appear on the broad absorption profile. For a fluorescence detection at $L =\lambda$, saturation induces narrow dips, but only for hyperfine components undergoing a population loss through optical pumping. These experimental results are interpreted with the help of the various existing models, and are compared with numerical calculations based upon a two-level modelling that considers both a closed and an open system.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figure

Dual channel self-oscillating optical magnetometer

We report on a two-channel magnetometer based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation in a Cs glass cell with buffer gas. The Cs atoms are optically pumped and probed by free running diode lasers tuned to the D$_2$ line. A wide frequency modulation of the pump laser is used to produce both synchronous Zeeman optical pumping and hyperfine repumping. The magnetometer works in an unshielded environment and spurious signal from distant magnetic sources is rejected by means of differential measurement. In this regime the magnetometer simultaneously gives the magnetic field modulus and the field difference. Rejection of the common-mode noise allows for high-resolution magnetometry with a sensitivity of \pthz{2}. This sensitivity, in conjunction with long-term stability and a large bandwidth, makes possible to detect water proton magnetization and its free induction decay in a measurement volume of 5 cm$^3$Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Improved version (v2). Accepted for publicatio

Spin randomization of light-induced desorbed Rb atoms

We present the first experimental observation of atomic spin randomization of Rb atoms released by light-induced atomic desorption (LIAD). A natural mixture of Rb atoms contained in paraffin and PDMS coated glass cells is irradiated by a free-running diode laser light tuned to the Rb D2 resonance line. The transmission spectrum of the Rb vapor is thus modified and shows a strong enhancement of the hyperfine optical pumping as the light intensity is increased and the laser-frequency scanning rate is decreased. The D2 line spectra are compared for two cases: without and with illumination of the walls of the cell by a UV lamp centered around the wavelength of 404 nm. A simple theoretical model based on the solution of the rate balance equations is introduced in order to analyze the experimental results

Coherent Population Trapping Resonances in Cs Atomic Vapor Layers of Micrometric Thickness

We report on a novel behavior of the electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) resonance observed on the D2 line of Cs for atoms confined in cells with micrometric thickness. With the enhancement of light intensity, the EIA resonance amplitude suffers from fast reduction, and even at very low intensity (W < 1 mW/cm2), resonance sign reversal takes place and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonance is observed. Similar EIA resonance transformation to EIT one is not observed in conventional cm-size cells. A theoretical model is proposed to analyze the physical processes behind the EIA resonance sign reversal with light intensity. The model involves elastic interactions between Cs atoms as well as elastic interaction of atom micrometric-cell windows, both resulting in depolarization of excited state which can lead to the new observations. The effect of excited state depolarization is confirmed also by the fluorescence (absorption) spectra measurement in micrometric cells with different thicknesses

Coherent Population Trapping οn the Second Resonance Line of Potassium

We present the observation of coherent population trapping resonances on the second resonance line of potassium: $4s^{2}S_{1//2}$ → $5 p^{2}P_{3//2}$ with wavelength of 404.4 nm. Moreover, a transfer of the coherent population trapping resonance occurs to the excited $4p^{2}P_{1//2}$ and $4p^{2}P_{3//2}$ states of the first resonance line due to cascade transitions. This transfer is evidenced by the observation of narrow resonances at the infrared $4s^{2}S_{1//2}$ → $4p^{2}P_{1//2}$ and $4s^{2}S_{1//2}$ → $4 p^{2}P_{3//2}$ transitions when alkali excitation is performed at the 404.4 nm violet line