Variations of relative line intensity in saturation spectroscopy due to low magnetic fields

We have observed dramatic line intensity variations in the saturation spectrum of Rb⁸⁵ and Rb⁸⁷ due to magnetic fields of magnitude on the order of 100 nT. These variations are detected by rotation of the plane of polarisation of the pump beam and probe beam relative to the magnetic field axis. A modified rate equation model is proposed which accounts for all experimentally observed features. Our results may explain some discrepancies between theory and experiment observed by other authors. Furthermore, our study should lead to a better understanding of the processes involved in saturation spectroscopy.     

Combined effect of light intensity and temperature on the magnetic resonance linewidth in alkali vapor cell with buffer gas

One of the peculiar phenomenons in non-zero magnetic resonance magnetometer is that, with the increase of the temperature, the magnetic resonance linewidth is narrowed at first instead of broadened due to the increasing collision rate. The magnetometer usually operates at the narrowest linewidth temperature to obtain the best sensitivity. Here, we explain this phenomenon quantitatively considering the nonlinear of the optical pumping in the cell and did experiments to verify this explanation. The magnetic resonance linewidth is measured using one amplitude-modulated pump laser and one continuous probe laser. The field is along the direction orthogonal to the plane of pump and probe beams. We change the temperature from 53℃ to 93℃ and the pumping light from 0.1 mW to 2 mW. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical calculations.     

Enhanced Raman Scattering of Elliptical Laser beam in a Collisional Plasma

This paper presents the Enhanced Raman scattering of a elliptical laser beam in a collisional plasma. We have considered the mechanism of non‐uniform heating of carriers along the wave‐front, which is important in collisional plasma. The nonlinearity arising through non‐uniform heating leads to redistribution of carriers, which modifies the background plasma density profile in a direction transverse to pump beam axis. This modification in density effects the incident laser beam, plasma wave and back‐scattered beam. Non‐linear differential equations for the beam width parameters of pump laser beam, plasma wave and back‐scattered beam are set up and solved numerically. Numerical results predict the effect of self‐focusing of waves on the back‐scattered beam (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Pump power dependence in resonance femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy

Femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) has emerged as a powerful new technique that is capable of obtaining resonance Raman spectra of fluorescent species and transient photochemical intermediates. Unlike related transient infrared absorption techniques, the FSRS signal is quite sensitive to the laser power utilized in the vibrational probing event. In particular, FSRS spectra are highly sensitive to the intensity of the picosecond Raman‐pump pulse. We have measured the power dependence of the FSRS signal using pulse energies from ~10⁻⁹ to ~10⁻⁵ J and molecules with a range of molar absorptivities at the Raman‐pump wavelength of 400 nm, including β‐carotene (ε₄₀₀ = 58 300 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹), para‐nitroaniline (17 800 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹), nitronaphthalene (247 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹) and ferrocene (57 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹). We show that for strongly absorbing molecular systems, such as β‐carotene and para‐nitroaniline, the ground‐state (GS) FSRS signal actually decreases with increasing pump power at pump fluences above ~10⁻² J cm⁻², due to depletion of the GS population. However, for weakly absorbing species like nitronaphthalene and ferrocene, the signal increases linearly with increasing pump fluence until ~0.5 J cm⁻², at which point two‐photon absorption by the solute induces nonlinear absorption of the pump pulse and attenuation of the FSRS signal. The data are quantitatively simulated with a photophysical kinetic model, and the results are analyzed to provide simple guidelines for acceptable Raman‐pump powers in resonance FSRS experiments. The acceptable Raman‐pump power is proportional to the focused beam area and depends inversely on the sample's molar absorptivity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution of finite energy Airy beams in cubic-quintic atomic vapor system

In a numerical investigation, we demonstrate the evolution of a one-dimensional and two-dimensional finite energy Airy beam in a Λ-type three-level atomic vapor with linear, cubic, and quintic susceptibilities considered simultaneously with the dressing effect. Quasi-solitons and soliton pairs are observed due to this competition mechanism. We find that the frequency detuning of the pump field and its power greatly affect the formation and evolution of generated solitons. In general, around the two-photon resonance point and for low intensities of the pump field, it is less difficult to form solitons. This investigation enriches the study of the propagation properties of Airy beams and soliton generation in atomic vapor.     

线极化Bell-Bloom测磁系统中抽运光对磁场灵敏度的影响

利用适用于线极化Bell-Bloom测磁系统的布洛赫方程和含有自旋弛豫的速率方程,以铯原子为研究对象,分析了抽运光对磁场灵敏度的影响,并在实验上分别采用与铯原子D1线和D2线共振的线偏光作为抽运光和探测光,用充有缓冲气体的气室进行了实验.实验结果与理论分析一致,均表明只有在一定的光强范围内,增大抽运光光强可以提高磁场灵敏度.且利用这一方法分析了原子的自旋弛豫对磁场灵敏度的影响.这项研究对于深入认识线极化的Bell-Bloom测磁系统,以及如何通过优化系统实现磁场灵敏度的提高具有重要的意义.     

Efficient three-wave mixing in a three-level atomic medium with an assisting microwave driven field

The potential for nonlinear conversion between two laser pulses in a three-level V-type medium with assistance of an auxiliary microwave resonant radiation is studied. The results show that microwave driven field can lead to the parametric generation of a new laser pulse with high conversion efficiency when a weak pump laser pulse is applied.     

Nonlinear selective reflection spectroscopy of V‐type atomic system at the gas‐solid interface

We theoretically present the nonlinear selective reflection spectroscopy of V‐type atomic system at gas‐solid interface in a pump‐probe scheme. The saturation and coherence effects are distinguished by solving Liouville equation in the absence and presence of reduced density matrix element between the two excited levels. When the coherence effect exists, two peaks appear in reflection spectroscopy with asymmetry lineshape. We investigate the dependence of reflection spectroscopy on pump field intensity, frequency detuning and coherent decay rate induced by collision between atoms. The lineshape can be explained based on reflection spectroscopy contributed from atoms with negative (before collision) and positive (after collision) velocities, single‐photon and two‐photon processes. This study is helpful for investigating quantum coherence and dynamic processes of atoms at gas‐solid interface.     

Rb原子滤波器的实验研究

本文用热Rb原子进行了光学滤波的研究。将一束激光调谐到Rb原子D2线的F=1→F′=2共振吸收线上,使其泵浦Rb原子,实现原子布居极化(即将Rb原子制备到能级F=2上)。当一束信号光反向穿过该介质时,若信号光频率调谐到原子"吸收窗口"(D1线F=2→F′=2),该介质对信号光大量吸收,信号光透射率仅为0.14%;若信号光频率调谐到原子"透明窗口"(D1线F=1→F′=2),信号光透射率高于47.4%。这种极化的原子介质可以用来做光学滤波器。     

Dynamic stabilization of atomic ionization in a high-frequency laser field with different initial angular momenta

We investigated the ionization of an atom with different orbital angular momenta in a high-frequency laser field by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The results showed that the ionization stabilization features changed with the relative direction between the angular momentum of the initial state and the vector field of the laser pulse. The ionization mechanism of the atom irradiated by a high frequency was explained by calculating the transition matrix and evolution of the time-dependent wave packet. This study can provide comprehensive understanding to improve atomic nonadiabatic ionization.     

Review of the Theoretical Description of Time‐Resolved Angle‐Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy in Electron‐Phonon Mediated Superconductors

We review recent work on the theory for pump/probe photoemission spectroscopy of electron‐phonon mediated superconductors in both the normal and the superconducting states. We describe the formal developments that allow one to solve the Migdal‐Eliashberg theory in nonequilibrium for an ultrashort laser pumping field, and explore the solutions which illustrate the relaxation as energy is transferred from electrons to phonons. We focus on exact results emanating from sum rules and approximate numerical results which describe rules of thumb for relaxation processes. In addition, in the superconducting state, we describe how Anderson‐Higgs oscillations can be excited due to the nonlinear coupling with the electric field and describe mechanisms where pumping the system enhances superconductivity.     

A laser pump-re-pump atomic magnetometer

We demonstrate experimentally an atomic magnetometer based on optical pumping theory, a magnetic resonance that is induced by a radio frequency field and dependent on the magnetic field strength. Compared with the conventional method using one radiation field, which is used not only as the probe beam but also as a pump beam, the additional re-pump beam can increase remarkably the amplitude of the signal. It is shown that the amplitude of the magnetic field resonance signal can increase more than 55% by using an additional re-pump beam, which makes the sensitivity of the magnetometer higher. Finally, we investigate the relation between amplitude of the signal and re-pump laser power, and calculate the atomic population in the trapping states with rate equations.     

约束阱中受激发原子的集体反弹效应所导致的自组织行为

研究N个中性二能级原子在谐振约束阱中与光场作用时的集体动力学行为.原子在简谐约束阱中受到强光场的抽运后，由于原子与光场相互作用的反弹效应而激发简谐振动模，从而量化地改变原子与光场作用的共振匹配条件，在一定系统参数条件下将导致弱探测光场强度的显著放大，并伴随着原子在相空间内自发地产生集体自组织的团簇结构. 关键词： 原子反弹激光模型 反弹效应 自组织结构     

Ionization dynamics of dense matter generated by intense ultrashort X‐ray pulses

We investigate a pump‐probe X‐ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) experiment that might be carried out at a free electron laser facility to study warm‐to‐hot states of dense matter. Ultrashort and intense X‐ray pulses with different energies (1,560–1,830 eV) heat a 1 µm thick Al target isochorically and create homogeneous and uncompressed warm‐to‐hot states of dense matter. A second pulse with variable delay probes this heated state via XRTS. The X‐ray laser–target interaction is modelled within radiation‐hydrodynamic simulations applying the HELIOS‐CR code. The HELIOS‐CR results qualitatively agree with Monte‐Carlo simulations, where the laser pulse absorption is simulated based on a uniform random sequence of events. The electron feature in the simultaneously observed X‐ray scattering spectrum is a function of the degree of ionization and the target temperature. Therefore, the temporal evolution of the plasmon peak measures the ionization dynamics on ultra‐short time scales. The XRTS spectrum is calculated based on the Chihara formula utilizing the Born‐Mermin approximation for the free electron dynamic structure factor. The proposed experiment will reveal important details of the ionization dynamics on ultra‐short time scales as well as of the relaxation on ps time scales.     

Otto Stern (1888–1969): The founding father of experimental atomic physics

We review the work and life of Otto Stern who developed the molecular beam technique and with its aid laid the foundations of experimental atomic physics. Among the key results of his research are: the experimental test of the Maxwell‐Boltzmann distribution of molecular velocities (1920), experimental demonstration of space quantization of angular momentum (1922), diffraction of matter waves comprised of atoms and molecules by crystals (1931) and the determination of the magnetic dipole moments of the proton and deuteron (1933).     

抽运-检测型非线性磁光旋转铷原子磁力仪的研究

报道了一种抽运-检测型的非线性磁光旋转铷原子磁力仪.其原理是线偏振光通过处于外磁场环境中被极化的原子介质后,由于原子对线偏振光中左、右圆偏成分不同的吸收和色散,导致光的偏振方向会产生与磁场相关的转动.分析了该磁力仪的工作原理,并测试了它对不同磁场大小的响应.测试结果表明,磁力仪测量范围为100—100000 nT,极限灵敏度为0.2 p T/Hz~(1/2),磁场分辨率为0.1 p T.进一步研究了不同磁场下原子系综极化态的横向弛豫时间,讨论了原子磁力仪高磁场采样率的获得方法.本文的原子磁力仪在5000—100000 n T的磁场测量范围内磁场采样率可实现1—1000 Hz范围内可调,能够测量低频的微弱交变磁场.本文的研究内容为大磁场测量范围、高灵敏度、高磁场采样率的原子磁力仪研制提供了重要参考.     

Study of width and height of EIT resonance in a Doppler broadened five-level system with varying probe power

We report the experimental observation of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a Doppler broadened rubidium vapour at room temperature for different probe intensities at a fixed pump intensity in a five-level Λ-type system formed by the D₂ transition of ⁸⁵Rb. For a constant pump intensity, we find that the EIT width and height change with the variation of probe intensity. We observe a nonlinear variation of the height of the EIT peak and a linear variation of the width (FWHM) of the EIT signal with probe intensity. In the Doppler broadened multilevel system, we also observe the velocity selective dips along with the EIT signal. A numerical simulation of the probe response signal based on density matrix representation in a five-level system is carried out to reproduce the experimentally observed spectra.     

Measurement of the absolute Raman scattering cross sections of sulfur and the standoff Raman detection of a 6‐mm‐thick sulfur specimen at 1500 m

The absolute Raman scattering cross sections (σ_RS) for the 471, 217, and 153 cm⁻¹ modes of sulfur were measured as 6.0 ± 1.2 × 10⁻²⁷, 7.7 ± 1.6 × 10⁻²⁷, and 1.2 ± 0.24 × 10⁻²⁶ cm² at 815, 799, and 794 nm, respectively, using a 785‐nm pump laser. The corresponding values of σ_RS at 1120, 1089, and 1081 nm were determined to be 1.5 ± 0.3 × 10⁻²⁷, 1.2 ± 0.24 × 10⁻²⁷, and 1.2 ± 0.24 × 10⁻²⁷ cm² using a 1064‐nm laser. A temperature‐controlled, small‐cavity (2.125 mm diameter) blackbody source was used to calibrate the signal output of the Raman spectrometers for these measurements. Standoff Raman detection of a 6‐mm‐thick sulfur specimen located at 1500 m from the pump laser and the Raman spectrometer was made using a 1.4‐W, CW, 785‐nm pump laser. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient Raman frequency conversion of high‐power fiber lasers in diamond

We report high‐power frequency conversion of a Yb‐doped fiber laser using a double‐pass pumped external‐cavity diamond Raman oscillator. Pumping with circular polarization is shown to be efficient while facilitating high‐power optical isolation between the pump and Raman laser. We achieved continuous‐wave average power of 154 W with a conversion efficiency of 50.5% limited by backward‐amplified light in the fiber laser. In order to prove further scalability, we achieved a maximum steady‐state Raman‐shifted output of 381 W with 61% conversion efficiency and excellent beam quality using 10 ms pump pulses, approximately a thousand times longer than the transient thermal time‐constant. No power saturation or degradation in beam quality is observed. The results challenge the present understanding of heat deposition in Raman crystals and foreshadow prospects for reduced thermal effects in diamond than originally anticipated. We also report the first experimental evidence for stimulated Brillouin scattering in diamond.

     

Integrated all‐optical switch with 10 ps time resolution enabled by ALD

Abstract The potential of GaAs‐based photonic crystals for fast all‐optical switching in the telecom spectral range is exploited by controlling the surface recombination and, thereby, the carrier relaxation dynamics. The structure is entirely coated with a layer of aluminium oxide using atomic layer deposition. This results in a carrier lifetime of about 10 ps, as determined by spectrally resolved pump–probe measurements. We show that the nonlinear response of the resonator is optimized when it is excited with a few‐picoseconds pulse. This dynamics is perfectly captured by our model accounting for the carrier diffusion with an impulse response function. Moreover, the suppression of photo‐induced oxidation is revealed to be crucial to demonstrate all‐optical operation at GHz rates with average coupled pump power of 0.5 mW (hence 100 fJ/bit). The switching window is 12 ps wide (1/e), as resolved by homodyne pump–probe measurements. The devices respond to a sequence of closely spaced pump pulses demonstrating a gating window close to 10 ps, with a contrast as high as 7 dB.