Absolute absorption on the potassium D lines: theory and experiment

Hanley, R. K.; Gregory, Philip D.; Hughes, Ifan G.; Cornish, Simon L.

doi:10.1088/0953-4075/48/19/195004

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The organic coating prevents spin relaxation upon atom/wall collisions [26,27]. We recall here that the K hyperfine (hf) ground (excited) state splitting, 461.7 MHz (55.5 MHz), is smaller than the Doppler width, 773.4 MHz at 300 K. Consequently, the optical hyperfine transitions are not resolved and we observe in the co-propagating scheme a single Gaussian-like absorption profile [28], while in the counter-propagating scheme the profile is modified by saturated absorption (Fig. 2).…”

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confidence: 83%

“…The two beams are then overlapped along the cell main axis with a waist of 5 mm. The maximum intensity used in this work is around 6 mW/cm 2 , corresponding to a ratio I L /I s ≈3.5 where I s =1.71 mW/cm 2 is the saturation intensity of K D 1 line [28]. The intensities as well as the polarizations of the two beams can be independently controlled by neutral density filters and waveplates.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Tunable and polarization-controlled high-contrast bright and dark coherent resonances in potassium

et al. 2017

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We demonstrate high-contrast Electromagnetically Induced Absorption (EIA) bright resonances on the D 1 line of 39 K with characteristics comparable to those of the Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) dark resonances observed in the same conditions. EIA is produced by the interaction of a weak probe beam with the atomic ground state driven in a degenerate coherent superposition by either a co-or counterpropagating pump beam. We have obtained an order of magnitude increase of the EIA's contrast with respect to previous similar experiments, performed with other alkalis, without compromising its linewidth. Furthermore, we show that the magneto-optic resonances can be continuously tuned from EIT to EIA by changing the relative handedness of circular polarizations of pump and probe beams, or depending on whether they co-or counter-propagate. This opens new perspectives in the use of EIA in a broad range of physical domains and in a large wealth of potential applications in optics and photonics. Contrary to Coherent Population Trapping and Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) with their ultra-narrow linewidths [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], Electromagnetically Induced Absorption (EIA) has found limited applications, mainly due to its broader linewidth and significantly smaller contrast. Nonetheless, an increasing interest in EIA was recently generated in view of potential applications, such as enhancement of the group velocity of light [9] and photonic metamaterials [10].EIA linewidths of several tens of kiloHertz have been reported, either with bichromatic excitation of Zeeman sublevels[11] or in Hanle configuration [12][13][14]. Bi-chromatic Hanle configuration has been explored by using Rb D 1 and D 2 lines [15]. Low-contrast EIA, resulting from EIT on D 2 line, was reported. Higher contrast EIA has been observed in [16], although overlapped to large background, which could be detrimental for highly-selective applications. More recently, sub-kHz EIA resonances were observed in Rb [17] and Cs [18,19]. In both cases, however, the contrast was of only a few percents. A pump/probe scheme in Hanle configuration for high-contrast EIA was proposed in a buffered vapor cell [20]. To date, however, no experimental demonstration has been reported. Highcontrast EIA has been observed on the 87 Rb D 2 line by using a complex excitation scheme with three separate photonic fields [21], and was theoretically investigated in [22]. EIA was also observed in the Paschen-Back regime in a purely non-degenerate three-level ladder system in 87 Rb [23]. Furthermore, while Rb and Cs have been widely investigated, this is the first observation of EIA in K, confirming our preliminary results [24].In this Letter, we report on an alternative and simpler approach for large contrast EIA in Hanle configuration using a pump/probe excitation scheme. We have observed EIA resonance contrast exceeding 50% in thermal K vapor. In this case, hyperfine optical pumping, which accumulates atoms to levels non interacting with the light [25,26], ...

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Tunable and polarization-controlled high-contrast bright and dark coherent resonances in potassium

et al. 2017

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“…The most frequently used filters employ alkali metals, as these have favourable properties, including (see e.g. [134]): (i) strong principal resonance lines in the visible or near infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum [112,202,203], (ii) simple and well-understood atomic structure and interactions with fields [65,204], and (iii) the vapour pressure of these elements allow large resonant optical rotations at modest temperatures [205]. Atomic line filters have been demonstrated in different atomic species, including Cs [61,206], Rb [201,207,208], Na [60,209] and K [210].…”

Section: Narrowband Atomic Line Filtersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser spectroscopy of hot atomic vapours: from ’scope to theoretical fit

et al. 2022

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The spectroscopy of hot atomic vapours is a hot topic. Many of the work-horse techniques of contemporary atomic physics were first demonstrated in hot vapours. Alkali-metal atomic vapours are ideal media for quantum-optics experiments as they combine: a large resonant optical depth; long coherence times; and well-understood atom-atom interactions. These features aid with the simplicity of both the experimental set up and the theoretical framework. The topic attracts much attention as these systems are ideal for studying both fundamental physics and has numerous applications, especially in sensing electromagnetic fields and quantum technology. This tutorial reviews the necessary theory to understand the Doppler broadened absorption spectroscopy of alkali-metal atoms, and explains the data taking and processing necessary to compare theory and experiment. The aim is to provide a gentle introduction to novice scientists starting their studies of the spectroscopy of thermal vapours whilst also calling attention to the application of these ideas in the contemporary literature. In addition, the work of expert practitioners in the field is highlighted, explaining the relevance of three extensively-used software packages that complement the presentation herein.

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“…1 (note that although it is technically easier to move only the ETC, in this case the temperature regime of the cell will be changed during the movement). About 30% of the laser power was branched to form the reference spectrum using the saturated absorption (SA) scheme (3) with 1.4-cm long potassium cell [21][22][23][24].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collapse and revival of a Dicke-type coherent narrowing in potassium vapor confined in a nanometric thin cell

Sargsyan

Pashayan-Leroy

Leroy

et al. 2016

J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys.

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Abstract. A nanometer-thin-cell (in the direction of laser beam propagation) has been elaborated with the thickness of the atomic vapor column varying smoothly in the range of L = 50 − 1500 nm. The cell allows one to study the behavior of the resonance absorption over the D 1 line of potassium atoms by varying the laser intensity and the cell thickness from L = λ/2 to L = 2λ with the step λ/2 (λ = 770 nm is the resonant wavelength of the laser). It is shown that despite the huge Doppler broadening (> 0.9 GHz at the cell temperature 170• C), at low laser intensities a narrowing of the resonance absorption spectrum is observed for L = λ/2 (∼ 120 MHz at FWHM) and L = 3/2λ, whereas for L = λ and L = 2λ the spectrum broadens. At moderate laser intensities narrowband velocity selective optical pumping (VSOP) resonances appear at L = λ and L = 2λ with the linewidth close to the natural one. A comparison with saturated absorption spectra obtained in a 1-cm-sized K cell is presented. The developed theoretical model well describes the experiment.

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Absolute absorption on the potassium D lines: theory and experiment

Cited by 20 publications

References 56 publications

Tunable and polarization-controlled high-contrast bright and dark coherent resonances in potassium

Tunable and polarization-controlled high-contrast bright and dark coherent resonances in potassium

Laser spectroscopy of hot atomic vapours: from ’scope to theoretical fit

Collapse and revival of a Dicke-type coherent narrowing in potassium vapor confined in a nanometric thin cell

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