A concept for an optical magnetometer used for the measurement of magnitude and direction of a magnetic field (B-field) in two orthogonal directions is developed based on double scanning of a B-field to compensate the measured field to zero value, which is monitored by a resonant magneto-optical process in an unshielded atomic vapor cell. Implementation of the technique using the nonlinear Hanle effect on the D2 line of rubidium demonstrates viability and efficiency of the proposed concept. The ways to enhance characteristics of the suggested technique and optimize its performance, as well as the possible extension to three-axis magnetometry, are discussed.
Selective reflection (SR) of light from a cesium vapor-sapphire interface close to the D 2 resonance line has been studied by use of a sapphire window with highly parallel surfaces. Temperature-tuning of the Fabry-Perot behaviour of the window [Jahier et al., Appl. Phys. B 71, 561 (2000)], resulting in a change of 0.5 to 26 % of the window reflection coefficient, dramatically affects both the magnitude and lineshape of the SR resonant atomic signal. For nearly zero window reflection, the case of particular interest, the absorptive properties of the atomic medium govern the signal shape, as opposed to the usual dispersive ones in the "ordinary" SR. This is a manifestation of homodyne detection of the radiated atomic field. The numerical simulation based on a model, which accounts for all the processes involved, shows a good agreement with the experimental spectra. Possible applications for laser and atomic spectroscopy, in particular tunable locking of laser frequency, are discussed.
Abstract:We present the results of spectroscopic and polarization studies of dilute rubidium vapor exposed to a single-frequency linearly polarized diode laser radiation in a spectral range of atomic D 2 line. We report the origin of a circularly polarized radiation on V-type transitions of 87 Rb F = 2 −→ F = 3 and 85 Rb F = 3 −→ F = 4, and amplification of this radiation in backward direction caused by a partial population inversion among magnetic sublevels of the ground and excited levels. This is confirmed experimentally by high directivity of backward radiation, absence in its spectrum of 85 Rb F = 2 −→ F = 1 (Λ-type) radiation, as well as by different nature of intensity dependences of backward and fluorescence radiations.
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