Search results for " atomic physics"
showing 10 items of 344 documents
Enhanced effects of variation of the fundamental constants in laser interferometers and application to dark matter detection
2015
We outline new laser interferometer measurements to search for variation of the electromagnetic fine-structure constant $\alpha$ and particle masses (including a non-zero photon mass). We propose a strontium optical lattice clock -- silicon single-crystal cavity interferometer as a novel small-scale platform for these new measurements. Multiple passages of a light beam inside an interferometer enhance the effects due to variation of the fundamental constants by the mean number of passages ($N_{\textrm{eff}} \sim 10^2$ for a large-scale gravitational-wave detector, such as LIGO, Virgo, GEO600 or TAMA300, while $N_{\textrm{eff}} \sim 10^5$ for a strontium clock -- silicon cavity interferomete…
Experimental evidence on photo-assisted O$^-$ ion production from Al$_2$O$_3$ cathode in cesium sputter negative ion source
2020
The production of negative ions in cesium sputter ion sources is generally considered to be a pure surface process. It has been recently proposed that ion pair production could explain the higher-than-expected beam currents extracted from these ion sources, therefore opening the door for laser-assisted enhancement of the negative ion yield. We have tested this hypothesis by measuring the effect of various pulsed diode lasers on the O$^-$ beam current produced from Al$_2$O$_3$ cathode of a cesium sputter ion source. It is expected that the ion pair production of O$^-$ requires populating the 5d electronic states of neutral cesium, thus implying that the process should be provoked only with s…
Tailored pump-probe transient spectroscopy with time-dependent density-functional theory: controlling absorption spectra
2016
Recent advances in laser technology allow us to follow electronic motion at its natural time-scale with ultra-fast time resolution, leading the way towards attosecond physics experiments of extreme precision. In this work, we assess the use of tailored pumps in order to enhance (or reduce) some given features of the probe absorption (for example, absorption in the visible range of otherwise transparent samples). This type of manipulation of the system response could be helpful for its full characterization, since it would allow us to visualize transitions that are dark when using unshaped pulses. In order to investigate these possibilities, we perform first a theoretical analysis of the non…
Limits on gravitational Einstein Equivalence Principle violation from monitoring atomic clock frequencies during a year
2016
Sun's gravitation potential at earth varies during a year due to varying Earth-Sun distance. Comparing the results of very accurate measurements of atomic clock transitions performed at different time in the year allows us to study the dependence of the atomic frequencies on the gravitational potential. We examine the measurement data for the ratio of the frequencies in Hg$^+$ and Al$^+$ clock transitions and absolute frequency measurements (with respect to caesium frequency standard) for Dy, Sr, H, hyperfine transitions in Rb and H, and obtain significantly improved limits on the values of the gravity related parameter of the Einstein Equivalence Principle violating term in the Standard Mo…
Complete hyperfine Paschen-Back regime at relatively small magnetic fields realized in potassium nano-cell
2015
A one-dimensional nano-metric-thin cell (NC) filled with potassium metal has been built and used to study optical atomic transitions in external magnetic fields. These studies benefit from the remarkable features of the NC allowing one to use $\lambda/2$- and $\lambda$-methods for effective investigations of individual transitions of the K D_1 line. The methods are based on strong narrowing of the absorption spectrum of the atomic column of thickness L equal to $\lambda/2$ and to $\lambda$(with $\lambda = 770\un{nm}$ being the resonant laser radiation wavelength). In particular, for a $\pi$-polarized radiation excitation the $\lambda$-method allows us to resolve eight atomic transitions (in…
Collapse and revival of a Dicke-type coherent narrowing in potassium vapor confined in a nanometric-thin cell
2015
A nanometer-thin-cell (in the direction of laser beam propagation) has been elaborated with the thickness of the atomic vapor column varying smoothly in the range of $L = \unit[50-1500]{nm}$. The cell allows one to study the behavior of the resonance absorption over the $D_1$ line of potassium atoms by varying the laser intensity and the cell thickness from $L = \lambda / 2$ to $L = 2 \lambda$ with the step $\lambda/2$ ($\lambda =\unit[770]{nm}$ is the resonant wavelength of the laser). It is shown that despite the huge Doppler broadening ($>\unit[0.9]{GHz}$ at the cell temperature $\unit[170]{^{\circ}C}$), at low laser intensities a narrowing of the resonance absorption spectrum is observe…
Imaging magnetic scalar potentials by laser-induced fluorescence from bright and dark atoms
2014
We present a spectroscopic method for mapping two-dimensional distributions of magnetic field strengths (magnetic scalar potential lines) using charge-coupled device (CCD) recordings of the fluorescence patterns emitted by spin-polarized Cs vapour in a buffer gas exposed to inhomogeneous magnetic fields. The method relies on the position-selective destruction of spin polarization by magnetic resonances induced by multi-component oscillating magnetic fields, such that magnetic potential lines can be directly detected by the CCD camera. We also present a generic algebraic model allowing for the calculation of the fluorescence patterns and find excellent agreement with the experimental observa…
Angular momentum spatial distribution symmetry breaking in Rb by an external magnetic field
2000
Excited state angular momentum alignment -- orientation conversion for atoms with hyperfine structure in presence of an external magnetic field is investigated. Transversal orientation in these conditions is reported for the first time. This phenomenon occurs under Paschen Back conditions at intermediate magnetic field strength. Weak radiation from a linearly polarized diode laser is used to excite Rb atoms in a cell. The laser beam is polarized at an angle of pi/4 with respect to the external magnetic field direction. Ground state hyperfine levels of the 5S_1/2 state are resolved using laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy under conditions for which all excited 5P_3/2 state hyperfine com…
Angular momentum alignment-to-orientation conversion in the ground state of Rb atoms at room temperature
2020
We investigated experimentally and theoretically angular momentum alignment-to-orientation conversion created by the joint interaction of laser radiation and an external magnetic field with atomic rubidium at room temperature. In particular we were interested in alignment-to-orientation conversion in atomic ground state. Experimentally the laser frequency was fixed to the hyperfine transitions of $D_1$ line of rubidium. We used a theoretical model for signal simulations that takes into account all neighboring hyperfine levels, the mixing of magnetic sublevels in an external magnetic field, the coherence properties of the exciting laser radiation, and the Doppler effect. The experiments were…
Electric-Field-Induced Symmetry Breaking of Angular Momentum Distribution in Atoms
2006
We report the experimental observation of alignment to orientation conversion in the 7D_3/2 and 9D_3/2 states of Cs in the presence of an external dc electric field, and without the influence of magnetic fields or atomic collisions. Initial alignment of angular momentum states was created by two-step excitation with linearly polarized laser radiation. The appearance of transverse orientation of angular momentum was confirmed by the observation of circularly polarized light. We present experimentally measured signals and compare them with the results of a detailed theoretical model based on the optical Bloch equations.