Laser frequency stabilization by magnetically assisted rotation spectroscopy

We present a method of Doppler-free laser frequency stabilization based on magnetically assisted rotation spectroscopy (MARS) which combines the Doppler-free velocity-selective optical pumping (VSOP) and magnetic rotation spectroscopy. The stabilization is demonstrated for the atomic rubidium transitions at 780 nm. The proposed method is largely independent of stray magnetic fields and does not require any modulation of the laser frequency. Moreover, the discussed method allows one to choose between locking the laser exactly to the line center, or with a magnetically-controlled shift to an arbitrary frequency detuned by up to several natural linewidths. This feature is useful in many situations, e.g. for laser cooling experiments. In addition to presenting the principle of the method, its theoretical background and peculiarities inherent to the repopulation VSOP are discussed.