Optically-detected spin-echo method for relaxation times measurements in a Rb atomic vapor
Author(s)
Jelenkovic, Branislav
Radojicic, I.S
Krmpot, A.
Date issued
June 26, 2017
In
New Journal of Physics
Vol
art. no 063027
No
19
From page
1
To page
2
Abstract
Weintroduce and demonstrate an experimental method, optically-detected spin-echo (ODSE), to
measure ground-state relaxation times of a rubidium (Rb) atomic vapor held in a glass cell with buffergas.
The work is motivated by our studies on high-performance Rb atomic clocks, where both
population and coherence relaxation times (T1 and T2, respectively) of the ‘clock transition’ (52S1/2
∣Fg = 1, mF = 0ñ « ∣Fg = 2, mF = 0ñ) are relevant.OurODSEmethod is inspired by classical
nuclear magnetic resonance spin-echo method, combined with optical detection. In contrast to other
existing methods, like continuous-wave double-resonance (CW-DR) and Ramsey-DR, principles of
the ODSE method allow suppression of decoherence arising from the inhomogeneity of the static
magnetic field across the vapor cell, thus enabling measurements of intrinsic relaxation rates, as
properties of the cell alone. Our experimental result for the coherence relaxation time, specific for the
clock transition, measured with the ODSE method is in good agreement with the theoretical
prediction, and the ODSE results are validated by comparison to those obtained with Franzen,CWDRand
Ramsey-DR methods. The method is of interest for a wide variety of quantum optics
experiments with optical signal readout.
measure ground-state relaxation times of a rubidium (Rb) atomic vapor held in a glass cell with buffergas.
The work is motivated by our studies on high-performance Rb atomic clocks, where both
population and coherence relaxation times (T1 and T2, respectively) of the ‘clock transition’ (52S1/2
∣Fg = 1, mF = 0ñ « ∣Fg = 2, mF = 0ñ) are relevant.OurODSEmethod is inspired by classical
nuclear magnetic resonance spin-echo method, combined with optical detection. In contrast to other
existing methods, like continuous-wave double-resonance (CW-DR) and Ramsey-DR, principles of
the ODSE method allow suppression of decoherence arising from the inhomogeneity of the static
magnetic field across the vapor cell, thus enabling measurements of intrinsic relaxation rates, as
properties of the cell alone. Our experimental result for the coherence relaxation time, specific for the
clock transition, measured with the ODSE method is in good agreement with the theoretical
prediction, and the ODSE results are validated by comparison to those obtained with Franzen,CWDRand
Ramsey-DR methods. The method is of interest for a wide variety of quantum optics
experiments with optical signal readout.
Publication type
journal article