We consider the coherent population trapping phenomenon in a thermal sodium atomic beam. We compare the different coherent population trapping schemes that can be established on the D 1 line using the Zeeman sublevels of a given ground hyperfine state. The coherent population trapping preparation is examined by means of a Hanle effect configuration. The efficiency of the coherent population tra...

We consider the coherent population trapping phenomenon in a thermal sodium atomic beam. We compare the different coherent population trapping schemes that can be established on the D1 line using the Zeeman sublevels of a given ground hyperfine state. The coherent population trapping preparation is examined by means of a Hanle effect configuration. The efficiency of the coherent population trap...

2014 The detection of optical resonances by observation of the fluorescence light emitted from a fast atomic beam of Na interacting with a collinear laser beam is limited in sensitivity by optical pumping processes. In the experiment reported here, we take advantage of the optical pumping by using a second collinear laser beam, achieving then a gain in fluorescence signal. The effects of the la...

We describe an array of spin-exchange-relaxation-free optical magnetometers designed for detection of fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG). The individual magnetometers are configured with a small volume with intense optical pumping, surrounded by a large pump-free region. Spin-polarized atoms that diffuse out of the optical pumping region precess in the ambient magnetic field and are detected by a...

We report the observation of a feedback process between the nuclear spins in a single charged quantum dot under coherently pulsed optical excitation and its trion transition. The optical pulse sequence intersperses resonant narrow-band pumping for spin initialization with off-resonant ultrafast pulses for coherent electron-spin rotation. A hysteretic sawtooth pattern in the free-induction decay...

We present an experimental study of nonlinear lensing of near-resonant light by a cloud of laser-cooled rubidium atoms, specifically aimed at understanding the role of the interaction time between the light and the atomic vapor. We identify four different nonlinear mechanisms, each associated with a different time constant: electronic nonlinearity, Zeeman optical pumping, hyperfine optical pump...

4He (2 3Si) metastable atoms are optically pumped with intensity modulated light The use of a single mode diode-pumped LNA laser as the pumping source, allows the study of resonance signals predicted'by the optical pumping theory but not yet observed Resonances are detected on the transmitted pumping beam at the modulation frequency and its harmonics Application of this method to high sensitivi...

Miniature (<few cm) vapor-cell based devices using optical pumping of alkali atoms, such as atomic clocks and magnetometers, today mostly employ vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers as pump light sources. Here, we report on the demonstration of optical pumping in a microfabricated alkali vapor resonance cell using (1) a microfabricated Rb discharge lamp light source, as well as (2) a convent...