We report on an all-optical magnetometric technique based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation with amplitude-modulated light. The method enables sensitive magnetic-field measurements in a broad dynamic range. We demonstrate the sensitivity of $4.3times10^{-9}$ G/$sqrt{text{Hz}}$ at 10 mG and the magnetic field tracking in a range of 40 mG. The fundamental limits of the method sensitivity and factors determining current performance of the magnetometer are discussed.
We predict theoretically and demonstrate experimentally an ellipticity-dependent nonlinear magneto-optic rotation of elliptically-polarized light propagating in a coherent atomic medium. We show that this effect results from a hexadecapole and higher order momenta of atomic coherence, and is associated with an enhancement of Kerr and higher orders nonlinearities accompanied by suppression of the other linear and nonlinear susceptibility terms of the medium. These nonlinearities might be useful for quantum signal processing. In particular, we report an observation of an enhancement the polarization rotation of elliptically polarized light resonant with the 5S_{1/2} F=2 -> 5P_{1/2} F=1 transition of Rb87.
The operation of a high sensitive atomic magnetometer using resonant elliptically polarized light is demonstrated. The experimental geometry allows autonomous frequency stabilization of the laser, thereby offers compact operation of the overall device. The magnetometry is based on measurement of the zero magnetic field resonance in degenerate two level system using polarimetric detection and has a preliminary sensitivity of <10 pT/Hz1/2 @ 1 Hz.
We present experimental and numerical studies of nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR) in rubidium vapor excited with resonant light tuned to the $5^2!S_{1/2}rightarrow 6^2!P_{1/2}$ absorption line (421~nm). Contrary to the experiments performed to date on the strong $D_1$ or $D_2$ lines, in this case, the spontaneous decay of the excited state $6^2!P_{1/2}$ may occur via multiple intermediate states, affecting the dynamics, magnitude and other characteristics of NMOR. Comparing the experimental results with the results of modelling based on Auzinsh et al., Phys. Rev. A 80, 1 (2009), we demonstrate that despite the complexity of the structure, NMOR can be adequately described with a model, where only a single excited-state relaxation rate is used.
We present a magneto-optical trap (MOT) design based on millimeter ball lenses, contained within a metal cube of 0.75$^{prime prime}$ side length. We present evidence of trapping approximately $4.2times 10^5$ of $^{85}$Rb atoms with a number density of $3.2times 10^9$ atoms/cm$^{3}$ and a loading time of 1.3 s. Measurement and a kinetic laser-cooling model are used to characterize the atom trap design. The design provides several advantages over other types of MOTs: the laser power requirement is low, the small lens and cube sizes allow for miniaturization of MOT applications, and the lack of large-diameter optical beam pathways prevents external blackbody radiation from entering the trapping region.
We have studied the intensity correlations between two orthogonally linearly polarized components of a laser field propagating through a resonant atomic medium. These experiments have been performed in a Rubidium atomic vapor. We observe that the correlations between the orthogonally polarized components of the laser beam are maximal in the absence of a magnetic field. The magnitude of the correlations depends on the applied magnetic field, and the magnitude first decreases and then increases with increasing magnetic field. Minimal correlations and maximal rotation angles are observed at the same magnetic fields. The width of the correlation function is directly proportional to the excited state lifetime and inversely proportional to the Rabi frequency of laser field. These results can be useful for improving optical magnetometers and for optical field or atomic spin squeezing.