Magneto-Optical Trap for Thulium Atoms

Thulium atoms are trapped in a magneto-optical trap using a strong transition at 410 nm with a small branching ratio. We trap up to $7\times10^{4}$ atoms at a temperature of 0.8(2) mK after deceleration in a 40 cm long Zeeman slower. Optical leaks from the cooling cycle influence the lifetime of atoms in the MOT which varies between 0.3 -1.5 s in our experiments. The lower limit for the leaking rate from the upper cooling level is measured to be 22(6) s$^{-1}$. The repumping laser transferring the atomic population out of the F=3 hyperfine ground-state sublevel gives a 30% increase for the lifetime and the number of atoms in the trap.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Coherent Diffusion of Polaritons in Atomic Media

Coherent diffusion pertains to the motion of atomic dipoles experiencing frequent collisions in vapor while maintaining their coherence. Recent theoretical and experimental studies on the effect of coherent diffusion on key Raman processes, namely Raman spectroscopy, slow polariton propagation, and stored light, are reviewed in this Colloquium.Comment: Submitted to Review of Modern Physic

Magnetometry Based on Nonlinear Magneto-Optical Rotation with Amplitude-Modulated Light

We report on an all-optical magnetometric technique based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with amplitude-modulated light. The method enables sensitive magnetic-field measurements in a broad dynamic range. We demonstrate the sensitivity of $4.3\times10^{-9}$ G/$\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ at 10 mG and the magnetic field tracking in a range of 40 mG. The fundamental limits of the method sensitivity and factors determining current performance of the magnetometer are discussed.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Applied Physics 8 pages, 8 figure

Bcc 4^4He as a Coherent Quantum Solid

In this work we investigate implications of the quantum nature of bcc $^{4}$% He. We show that it is a unique solid phase with both a lattice structure and an Off-Diagonal Long Range Order of coherently oscillating local electric dipole moments. These dipoles arise from the local motion of the atoms in the crystal potential well, and oscillate in synchrony to reduce the dipolar interaction energy. The dipolar ground-state is therefore found to be a coherent state with a well defined global phase and a three-component complex order parameter. The condensation energy of the dipoles in the bcc phase stabilizes it over the hcp phase at finite temperatures. We further show that there can be fermionic excitations of this ground-state and predict that they form an optical-like branch in the (110) direction. A comparison with 'super-solid' models is also discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Buffer-gas induced absorption resonances in Rb vapor

We observe transformation of the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonance into the absorption resonance in a $\Lambda$ interaction configuration in a cell filled with $^{87}$Rb and a buffer gas. This transformation occurs as a one-photon detuning of the coupling fields is varied from the atomic transition. No such absorption resonance is found in the absence of a buffer gas. The width of the absorption resonance is several times smaller than the width of the EIT resonance, and the changes of absorption near these resonances are about the same. Similar absorption resonances are detected in the Hanle configuration in a buffered cell.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures; 13 pages, 17 figures, added numerical simulatio

Enhancement of Magneto-Optic Effects via Large Atomic Coherence

We utilize the generation of large atomic coherence to enhance the resonant nonlinear magneto-optic effect by several orders of magnitude, thereby eliminating power broadening and improving the fundamental signal-to-noise ratio. A proof-of-principle experiment is carried out in a dense vapor of Rb atoms. Detailed numerical calculations are in good agreement with the experimental results. Applications such as optical magnetometry or the search for violations of parity and time reversal symmetry are feasible

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

Resonant nonlinear magneto-optical effects in atoms

In this article, we review the history, current status, physical mechanisms, experimental methods, and applications of nonlinear magneto-optical effects in atomic vapors. We begin by describing the pioneering work of Macaluso and Corbino over a century ago on linear magneto-optical effects (in which the properties of the medium do not depend on the light power) in the vicinity of atomic resonances, and contrast these effects with various nonlinear magneto-optical phenomena that have been studied both theoretically and experimentally since the late 1960s. In recent years, the field of nonlinear magneto-optics has experienced a revival of interest that has led to a number of developments, including the observation of ultra-narrow (1-Hz) magneto-optical resonances, applications in sensitive magnetometry, nonlinear magneto-optical tomography, and the possibility of a search for parity- and time-reversal-invariance violation in atoms.Comment: 51 pages, 23 figures, to appear in Rev. Mod. Phys. in Oct. 2002, Figure added, typos corrected, text edited for clarit