1,084 research outputs found
Non-linear amplification of small spin precession using long range dipolar interactions
In measurements of small signals using spin precession the precession angle
usually grows linearly in time. We show that non-linear interactions between
particles can lead to an exponentially growing spin precession angle, resulting
in an amplification of small signals and raising them above the noise level of
a detection system. We demonstrate amplification by a factor of greater than 8
of a spin precession signal due to a small magnetic field gradient in a
spherical cell filled with hyperpolarized liquid Xe. This technique can
improve the sensitivity in many measurements that are limited by the noise of
the detection system, rather then the fundamental spin-projection noise.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Cancellation of nonlinear Zeeman shifts with light shifts
Nonlinear Zeeman (NLZ) shifts arising from magnetic-field mixing of the two
hyperfine ground-states in alkali atoms lead to splitting of magnetic-resonance
lines. This is a major source of sensitivity degradation and the so-called
"heading errors" of alkali-vapor atomic magnetometers operating in the
geophysical field range (B approx. 0.2-0.7 G). Here, it is shown theoretically
and experimentally that NLZ shifts can be effectively canceled by light shifts
caused by a laser field of appropriate intensity, polarization and frequency, a
technique that can be readily applied in practical situations.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, to be published in PR
Temperature dependence of the nitrogen-vacancy magnetic resonance in diamond
The temperature dependence of the magnetic resonance spectra of
nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) ensembles in the range of 280-330 K was studied. Four
samples prepared under different conditions were studied with NV-
concentrations ranging from 10 ppb to 15 ppm. For all of these samples, the
axial zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameter, D, was found to vary significantly
with temperature, T, as dD/dT = -74.2(7) kHz/K. The transverse ZFS parameter,
E, was non-zero (between 4 and 11 MHz) in all samples, and exhibited a
temperature dependence of dE/(EdT) = -1.4(3) x 10^(-4) K^(-1). The results
might be accounted for by considering local thermal expansion. The observation
of the temperature dependence of the ZFS parameters presents a significant
challenge for room-temperature diamond magnetometers and may ultimately limit
their bandwidth and sensitivity.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
How do you know if you ran through a wall?
Stable topological defects of light (pseudo)scalar fields can contribute to
the Universe's dark energy and dark matter. Currently the combination of
gravitational and cosmological constraints provides the best limits on such a
possibility. We take an example of domain walls generated by an axion-like
field with a coupling to the spins of standard-model particles, and show that
if the galactic environment contains a network of such walls, terrestrial
experiments aimed at detection of wall-crossing events are realistic. In
particular, a geographically separated but time-synchronized network of
sensitive atomic magnetometers can detect a wall crossing and probe a range of
model parameters currently unconstrained by astrophysical observations and
gravitational experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure; to appear in the PR
Spin-exchange relaxation free magnetometry with Cs vapor
We describe a Cs atomic magnetometer operating in the spin-exchange
relaxation-free (SERF) regime. With a vapor cell temperature of
we achieve intrinsic magnetic resonance widths corresponding to an electron spin-relaxation rate of when the spin-exchange rate is . We
also observe an interesting narrowing effect due to diffusion. Signal-to-noise
measurements yield a sensitivity of about .
Based on photon shot noise, we project a sensitivity of . A theoretical optimization of the magnetometer indicates
sensitivities on the order of should be achievable in a
volume. Because Cs has a higher saturated vapor pressure than
other alkali metals, SERF magnetometers using Cs atoms are particularly
attractive in applications requiring lower temperatures.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. submitted to PR
Gyroscopes based on nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond
We propose solid-state gyroscopes based on ensembles of negatively charged
nitrogen-vacancy () centers in diamond. In one scheme, rotation of
the nitrogen-vacancy symmetry axis will induce Berry phase shifts in the electronic ground-state coherences proportional to the solid angle
subtended by the symmetry axis. We estimate sensitivity in the range of
in a 1 sensor volume using
a simple Ramsey sequence. Incorporating dynamical decoupling to suppress
dipolar relaxation may yield sensitivity at the level of . With a modified Ramsey scheme, Berry phase shifts in the
hyperfine sublevels would be employed. The projected sensitivity
is in the range of , however the smaller
gyromagnetic ratio reduces sensitivity to magnetic-field noise by several
orders of magnitude. Reaching would represent
an order of magnitude improvement over other compact, solid-state gyroscope
technologies.Comment: 3 figures, 5 page
Production and detection of atomic hexadecapole at Earth's magnetic field
Anisotropy of atomic states is characterized by population differences and
coherences between Zeeman sublevels. It can be efficiently created and probed
via resonant interactions with light, the technique which is at the heart of
modern atomic clocks and magnetometers. Recently, nonlinear magneto-optical
techniques have been developed for selective production and detection of higher
polarization moments, hexadecapole and hexacontatetrapole, in the ground states
of the alkali atoms. Extension of these techniques into the range of
geomagnetic fields is important for practical applications. This is because
hexadecapole polarization corresponding to the Zeeman coherence,
with maximum possible for electronic angular momentum and
nuclear spin , is insensitive to the nonlinear Zeeman effect (NLZ). This
is of particular interest because NLZ normally leads to resonance splitting and
systematic errors in atomic magnetometers. However, optical signals due to the
hexadecapole moment decline sharply as a function of magnetic field. We report
a novel method that allows selective creation of a macroscopic long-lived
ground-state hexadecapole polarization. The immunity of the hexadecapole signal
to NLZ is demonstrated with F=2 Rb atoms at Earth's field.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Constraints on short-range spin-dependent interactions from scalar spin-spin coupling in deuterated molecular hydrogen
A comparison between existing measurements and calculations of the scalar
spin-spin interaction (J-coupling) in deuterated molecular hydrogen (HD) yields
stringent constraints on anomalous spin-dependent potentials between nucleons
at the atomic scale (). The dimensionless coupling constant
associated with exchange of pseudoscalar (axion-like)
bosons between nucleons is constrained to be less than for
boson masses in the range of . This represents improvement by a
factor of about 100 over constraints placed by measurements of the
dipole-dipole interaction in molecular . The dimensionless coupling
constant associated with exchange of a heretofore
undiscovered axial-vector boson between nucleons is constrained to be
for bosons of mass , improving constraints at this distance scale by a factor of 100 for
proton-proton couplings and more than 8 orders of magnitude for neutron-proton
couplings. This limit is also a factor of 100 more stringent than recent
constraints obtained for axial-vector couplings between electrons and nucleons
obtained from comparison of measurements and calculations of hyperfine
structure.Comment: 4 pages 2 figure
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