360 research outputs found
Hyperfine-interaction- and magnetic-field-induced Bose-Einstein-statistics suppressed two-photon transitions
Two-photon transitions between atomic states of total electronic angular
momentum and are forbidden when the photons are of the same
energy. This selection rule is analogous to the Landau-Yang theorem in particle
physics that forbids decays of vector particle into two photons. It arises
because it is impossible to construct a total angular momentum
quantum-mechanical state of two photons that is permutation symmetric, as
required by Bose-Einstein statistics. In atoms with non-zero nuclear spin, the
selection rule can be violated due to hyperfine interactions. Two distinct
mechanisms responsible for the hyperfine-induced two-photon transitions are
identified, and the hyperfine structure of the induced transitions is
evaluated. The selection rule is also relaxed, even for zero-nuclear-spin
atoms, by application of an external magnetic field. Once again, there are two
similar mechanisms at play: Zeeman splitting of the intermediate-state
sublevels, and off-diagonal mixing of states with different total electronic
angular momentum in the final state. The present theoretical treatment is
relevant to the ongoing experimental search for a possible
Bose-Einstein-statistics violation using two-photon transitions in barium,
where the hyperfine-induced transitions have been recently observed, and the
magnetic-field-induced transitions are being considered both as a possible
systematic effect, and as a way to calibrate the measurement
Progress report concerning work at the 3.5 GeV installation for colliding electron-positron beams (VEPP-3)
Nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with frequency-modulated light in the geophysical field range
Recent work investigating resonant nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR)
related to long-lived (\tau\ts{rel} \sim 1 {\rm s}) ground-state atomic
coherences has demonstrated potential magnetometric sensitivities exceeding
for small () magnetic
fields. In the present work, NMOR using frequency-modulated light (FM NMOR) is
studied in the regime where the longitudinal magnetic field is in the
geophysical range (), of particular interest for many
applications. In this regime a splitting of the FM NMOR resonance due to the
nonlinear Zeeman effect is observed. At sufficiently high light intensities,
there is also a splitting of the FM NMOR resonances due to ac Stark shifts
induced by the optical field, as well as evidence of alignment-to-orientation
conversion type processes. The consequences of these effects for FM-NMOR-based
atomic magnetometry in the geophysical field range are considered.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Laser induced breakdown of the magnetic field reversal symmetry in the propagation of unpolarized light
We show how a medium, under the influece of a coherent control field which is
resonant or close to resonance to an appropriate atomic transition, can lead to
very strong asymmetries in the propagation of unpolarized light when the
direction of the magnetic field is reversed. We show how EIT can be used to
mimic effects occuring in natural systems and that EIT can produce very large
asymmetries as we use electric dipole allowed transitions. Using density matrix
calculations we present results for the breakdown of the magnetic field
reversal symmetry for two different atomic configurations.Comment: RevTex, 6 pages, 10 figures, Two Column format, submitted to Phys.
Rev.
Collisional perturbation of radio-frequency E1 transitions in an atomic beam of dysprosium
We have studied collisional perturbations of radio-frequency (rf)
electric-dipole (E1) transitions between the nearly degenerate opposite-parity
levels in atomic dysprosium (Dy) in the presence of 10 to 80 Torr of
H, N, He, Ar, Ne, Kr, and Xe. Collisional broadening and
shift of the resonance, as well as the attenuation of the signal amplitude are
observed to be proportional to the foreign-gas density with the exception of
H and Ne, for which no shifts were observed. Corresponding rates and cross
sections are presented. In addition, rates and cross sections for O are
extracted from measurements using air as foreign gas. The primary motivation
for this study is the need for accurate determination of the shift rates, which
are needed in a laboratory search for the temporal variation of the
fine-structure constant [A. T. Nguyen, D. Budker, S. K. Lamoreaux, and J. R.
Torgerson, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{69}, 22105 (2004)].Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Parity nonconservation in Atomic Zeeman Transitions
We discuss the possibility of measuring nuclear anapole moments in atomic
Zeeman transitions and perform the necessary calculations. Advantages of using
Zeeman transitions include variable transition frequencies and the possibility
of enhancement of parity nonconservation effects
Large Faraday rotation of resonant light in a cold atomic cloud
We experimentally studied the Faraday rotation of resonant light in an
optically-thick cloud of laser-cooled rubidium atoms. Measurements yield a
large Verdet constant in the range of 200 000 degrees/T/mm and a maximal
polarization rotation of 150 degrees. A complete analysis of the polarization
state of the transmitted light was necessary to account for the role of the
probe laser's spectrum
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