Polarized velocity selective spectroscopy of atomic rubidium using counterpropagating beams

Probe-intensity dependence of velocity-selective polarization spectra at the rubidiumD2manifold and comparison with a rate-equation calculation

“…Although previous works have successfully reproduced most of the features observed in a variety of laser spectroscopy systems [1,3,4,23,24], in their theoretical analyzes the authors of these works make the usual approximations which are equivalent to neglecting the intensity of the probe beam. In this work we avoid making these approximations and, by comparison both with experimental results and with previous works [9] we show the effect of the probe beam intensity on the features of the corresponding spectra. This model can also be applied to the copropagating polarized VSOP spectroscopy and we present new experimental spectra for this configuration, which complements the counterpropagating measurements previously reported in [9].…”

“…In this work we avoid making these approximations and, by comparison both with experimental results and with previous works [9] we show the effect of the probe beam intensity on the features of the corresponding spectra. This model can also be applied to the copropagating polarized VSOP spectroscopy and we present new experimental spectra for this configuration, which complements the counterpropagating measurements previously reported in [9]. These copropagating polarization spectra present a series of dispersionlike features useful for locking the coupling laser frequency to a set of detunings with respect to the cycling transition resonance that is completely different from those obtained in the counterpropagating case.…”

“…The development of models for describing the shape of the spectra obtained by means of the interaction between laser light and alkali atom vapors is motivated by the need of predicting both Doppler broadened and sub-Doppler spectra with high accuracy [1][2][3][4][5]. This understanding can be applied to the improvement and development of new laser stabilization techniques [6][7][8][9], laser cooling and trapping systems, chip-scale atomic clocks [10], magnetometry and inertial sensing systems [11,12], spectroscopic measurements of atomic energy levels [13], as well as in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) experiments [14].…”

“…Our group extended [9] the polarization spectroscopy technique to obtain dispersion profiles in a polarized velocity selective setup. Two independent laser beams cross at a rubidium absorption cell: a circularly polarized coupling beam whose frequency is scanned, and a counterpropagating linearly polarized probe beam locked to an atomic resonance.…”

Laser spectroscopy of the 5P3/2 → 6Pj (j = 1/2 and 3/2) electric dipole forbidden transitions in atomic rubidium

“…First of all one must consider the effect of selection of velocities in a room temperature atomic vapor cell [19]. The preparation laser has its frequency fixed within the Doppler absorption well of the D2 line of either 85 Rb or 87 Rb.…”