Search

The longitudinal relaxation time (T 1 ) of noble gas nuclear spins is a critical parameter for evaluating the performance of an atomic comagnetometer, significantly influencing the signal-to-noise ratio of the system. Traditional measurement techniques, such as the free induction decay method combined with the spin growth technique (FIDSG), are time-consuming for gases with extended T 1 durations, such as 21 Ne, and are prone to substantial environmental variability. Here, we propose the transverse low-frequency square-wave magnetic field modulation (LSMM) method for the rapid measurement of T 1 . The experiment indicates that the LSMM significantly condenses the measurement time to 19.2% of the original, thereby diminishing the robustness demands of the system. Although a minor discrepancy of up to 3 min (or 1.3%) exists between LSMM and FIDSG results, the LSMM method provides strong support for calibrating the performance of comagnetometer cells and conducting various nuclear spin polarization experiments, thereby improving efficiency and reducing energy loss.

We report a method to enhance the sensitivity of coherent population trapping (CPT) magnetometers using a combination of left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light phase-delay detection and a differential detection scheme. The approach can achieve a four third-fold enhancement of the CPT dispersion signal slope and a three-fold reduction in noises. The proposed method experimentally exhibits a four third-fold magnetic field resolution enhancement in CPT open-loop measurements, and the differential method could achieve a sensitivity of 1  p T / H z at 10 Hz and a sensitivity of 0.4  p T / H z at 50-100 Hz in the CPT closed-loop measurement, which is a four-fold sensitivity enhancement compared to the single-transmitted CPT magnetometer.

The high-precision and portable nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR) atomic magnetometer has significant potential in the direction of magnetic field measurement under a geomagnetic environment. Here, we propose a single-beam NMOR atomic magnetometer with amplitude modulation based on a fiberized electro-optic modulator (EOM) for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, which provides a feasible scheme for the integrated design. A theoretical model of the system response signal as a function of the modulation amplitude is established by a Jones matrix. Based on the theoretical model, the influence mechanism of the modulation amplitude on the system response signal is further analyzed and the optimal modulation parameters can be determined. Finally, a sensitivity of 42.67 fT/Hz 1/2 at 50-µT magnetic field is achieved. The proposed scheme is also applicable to other magnetometers under a geomagnetic environment.

Filamentation dynamics in fused silica are investigated using an Airy pattern and a Gaussian laser beam. The angle-resolved conical emission spectra are measured and compared with the predictions of several models. Our experimental observations are consistent with the X-waves model in both cases. This indicates that both laser beams spontaneously evolve into nonlinear X-waves and suggests a universal evolution of filaments in fused silica, regardless of the initial laser beam profile.