Precision measurements of gravitational acceleration g have far reaching applications in navigation and sensing as well as for tests of general relativity. Grating-echo atom interferometers (AIs) utilize simple setups and distinctive excitation schemes that involve a single excitation laser, and do not require velocity selection. They have demonstrated measurements of gravity precise to 75 parts per billion (ppb) by dropping laser-cooled atomic samples through ~ 1 cm. Here we describe progress toward realizing a cold atom gravimeter using an echo AI designed for drop heights of ~30 cm. The experimental technique involves illuminating the falling sample of laser-cooled rubidium atoms with two standing wave (sw) pulses separated by time t = T. The sw pulses are composed of two traveling-wave components, each having a wave vector of magnitude k = 2π/λ. Momentum state interference produces one-dimensional density gratings with a period λ/2 immediately after each excitation pulse. These gratings dephase due to the velocity distribution of the sample along the sw axis. The AI uses an echo technique to cancel the effect of velocity dephasing and observe a rephased density grating in the vicinity of the echo time τ = 2Τ. The grating contrast and phase are measured by coherently backscattering a traveling wave readout pulse from the sample. The grating phase, measured with respect to a vibrationally stabilized inertial reference frame, scales as 2kgΤ2. A drawback of echo AIs is the signal-to-noise ratio, which is limited by the contrast of the grating and systematic effects due the refractive index of the sample. Here, we review improvements to the experimental design and investigate methods of improving the signal-to-noise ratio by optimizing the atom-field coupling. We describe progress toward realizing our goals of increasing the grating contrast and the backscattered signal. The improved contrast is expected to allow the experiment to be carried out at a lower density to reduce corrections due to the refractive index. We discuss a variety of excitation schemes for achieving a target precision of a few ppb.
We describe a technique for the rapid determination of the mass of particles confined in a free-space optical dipole force trap without the need for a vacuum environment (Carlse et al., Phys. Rev. Appl. 14, 024017 (2020)). The trapping light is amplitude modulated causing the particle to be released and subsequently recaptured by the optical dipole force. The drop and restore trajectories are directly imaged using a high-speed CMOS sensor to determine the particle mass. These measurements are corroborated using the position autocorrelation function and the mean-square displacement. We also examine the prospect of extending these techniques to particles trapped in liquids.
We demonstrate a technique for the accurate measurement of diffusion coefficients for alkali vapor in an inert buffer gas. The measurement was performed by establishing a spatially periodic density grating in isotopically pure 87Rb vapor and observing the decaying coherent emission from the grating due to the diffusive motion of the vapor through N2 buffer gas. We obtain a diffusion coefficient of 0.245 ± 0.002 cm2 /s at 50°C and 564 Torr. Scaling to atmospheric pressure, we obtain D0 = 0.1819 ± 0.0024 cm2 /s. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the most accurate determination of the Rb-N2 diffusion coefficient. Our measurements can be extended to different buffer gases and alkali vapors used for magnetometry and can be used to constrain theoretical diffusion models for these systems
We have developed a versatile pulsed laser system for high precision magnetometry. The operating wavelength of the system can be configured to optically pump alkali vapors such as rubidium and cesium. The laser system consists of an auto-locked, interference filter stabilized, external cavity diode laser (ECDL), a tapered waveguide amplifier, and a pulsing module. The auto-locking controller can be used by an untrained operator to stabilize the laser frequency with respect to a library of atomic, molecular, and solid-state spectral markers. The ECDL output can be amplified from 20 mW to 2 W in continuous wave (CW) mode. The pulsing module, which includes an acousto-optic modulator (AOM), can generate pulses with durations of 20 ns and repetition rates of several MHz. Accordingly, the laser system is well suited for applications such as gravimetry, magnetometry, and differential absorption lidar. In this work, we focus on magnetometric applications and demonstrate that the laser source is suitable for optically pumping rubidium vapor. We also describe numerical simulations of optical pumping relevant to the rubidium D1 and D2 transitions at 795 nm and 780 nm respectively. These studies are relevant to the design and construction of a new generation of portable, rubidium, spin exchange relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometers, capable of sensitivities of 1 fT Hz-1/2 1.
We describe a compact waveguide amplifier system that is suitable for optically pumping rubidium magnetometers. The system consists of an auto-locking vacuum-sealed external cavity diode laser, a semiconductor tapered amplifier and a pulsing unit based on an acousto-optic modulator. The diode laser utilises optical feedback from an interference filter to narrow the linewidth of an inexpensive laser diode to ~500 kHz. This output is scannable over an 8 GHz range (at 780 nm) and can be locked without human intervention to any spectral marker in an expandable library of reference spectra, using the autolocking controller. The tapered amplifier amplifies the output from 50 mW up to 2 W with negligible distortions in the spectral quality. The system can operate at visible and near infrared wavelengths with MHz repetition rates. We demonstrate optical pumping of rubidium vapour with this system for magnetometric applications. The magnetometer detects the differential absorption of two orthogonally polarized components of a linearly polarized probe laser following optical pumping by a circularly polarized pump laser. The differential absorption signal is studied for a range of pulse lengths, pulse amplitudes and DC magnetic fields. Our results suggest that this laser system is suitable for optically pumping spin-exchange free magnetometers.
We present a unique external cavity diode laser system that can be auto-locked with reference to atomic and molecular spectra. The vacuum-sealed laser head design uses an interchangeable base-plate comprised of a laser diode and optical elements that can be selected for desired wavelength ranges. The feedback light to the laser diode is provided by a narrow-band interference filter, which can be tuned from outside the laser cavity to fineadjust the output wavelength in vacuum. To stabilize the laser frequency, the digital laser controller relies either on a pattern-matching algorithm stored in memory, or on first or third derivative feedback. We have used the laser systems to perform spectroscopic studies in rubidium at 780 nm, and in iodine at 633 nm. The linewidth of the 780-nm laser system was measured to be ∼500 kHz, and we present Allan deviation measurements of the beat note and the lock stability. Furthermore, we show that the laser system can be the basis for a new class of lidar transmitters in which a temperature-stabilized fiber-Bragg grating is used to generate frequency references for on-line points of the transmitter. We show that the fiber-Bragg grating spectra can be calibrated with reference to atomic transitions.
We describe a diode laser system for precision metrology that relies on adaptations of a well-known design based on optical feedback from an interference filter. The laser head operates with an interchangeable base-plate, which allows for single-mode performance at distinct wavelengths of 633 nm and 780 nm. Frequency drifts are effectively suppressed by using a vacuum-sealed laser head, thereby allowing the laser frequency to be stabilized on time-scales of several hours. Using a digital auto-lock controller, we show that the laser frequency can be stabilized with respect to selected iodine and rubidium spectral lines. The controller can be programmed to use a pattern-matching algorithm or generate first- and third-derivative error signals for peak locking. Beat note characterization has demonstrated a short-term linewidth of ~2 MHz and an Allan deviation of 3.5 × 10-9 for a measurement time τ = 500 s. The laser characteristics have also enabled high-precision gravity measurements with accuracies of a few parts-per-billion (ppb).
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