Pulsed high magnetic field measurement with a rubidium vapor sensor

Abstract

We present a new technique to measure pulsed magnetic fields based on the use of rubidium in gas phase as a metrological standard. We have therefore developed an instrument based on laser inducing transitions at about 780 nm (D2 line) in rubidium gas contained in a mini-cell of 3 mm × 3 mm cross section. To be able to insert such a cell in a standard high-field pulsed magnet, we have developed a fibred probe kept at a fixed temperature. Transition frequencies for both the π (light polarization parallel to the magnetic field) and σ (light polarization perpendicular to the magnetic field) configurations are measured by a commercial wavemeter. One innovation of our sensor is that in addition to the usual monitoring of the light transmitted by the Rb cell, we also monitor the fluorescence emission of the gas sample from a volume of 0.13 mm. Our sensor has been tested up to about 58 T.

High magnetic fields for fundamental physics

“…Although this technique cannot compete with NMR in DC fields in terms of sensitivity or resolution, it can give access to NMR data in the field range above 45 T. The current field limit of pulsed-field NMR experiments is 80 T, and there is no reason to believe that it could not be implemented in the highest field pulsed magnets, which currently generate up to 100 T. A technique to measure pulsed magnetic fields based on the use of rubidium in gas phase as a metrological standard was demonstrated in Ref. [170]. The idea is that the magnetic field "tunes" the energies of the Zeeman sublevels in the upper and the lower state and brings the transition on resonance with light of a fixed and precisely measured frequency, increasing absorption and fluorescence.…”

“…The authors of Ref. [170] developed an instrument based on laser inducing transitions at about 780 nm (D2 line) in rubidium gas contained in a cell of 3 × 3 mm 2 cross section ( Fig. 32).…”

“…High-magnetic-field probe based on Rb optical spectroscopy[170]. Left: optical measurement head; MM and SM stand for multi-mode and single-mode (optical fibers), respectively.…”

Absorption spectroscopy and Stokes polarimetry in a $^{87}$Rb vapour in the Voigt geometry with a 1.5 T external magnetic field

“…In such experiments, the Zeeman splitting of energy levels in alkalimetal atoms is used to observe field strengths of the order of tens/hundreds of Tesla via spectroscopic techniques [32][33][34]. Non-destructive techniques for producing * francisco.s.ponciano-ojeda@durham.ac.uk these large fields also exist, and this has enabled work in large pulsed magnetic fields up to 58 T with similar alkaliatom systems [35,36]. Aside from the large Zeeman splitting produced at such large magnetic fields, there are other changes in the atoms that in turn allow additional effects to be observed.…”

Quantitative optical spectroscopy of 87Rb vapour in the Voigt geometry in DC magnetic fields up to 0.4 T

“…Atom-based measurement systems for large fields above 1 T have received significantly less attention. In large pulsed magnetic fields, the Zeeman splitting in alkali-metal atoms has been used to measure fields up to 58 T [31,32] with non-destructive field production, and with destructive techniques up to 200 T [33] and 500 T [34] using the sodium D-line splitting. This research has important applications in high energy-density * james.keaveney@durham.ac.uk † francisco.s.ponciano-ojeda@durham.ac.uk science for magnetically imploded inertial fusion [33] and a variety of other fundamental physics investigations [35].…”