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We investigate magnetic resonances driven in thermal vapour of alkali atoms by laser radiation broadly modulated at a frequency resonant with the Zeeman splitting. A model accounting for both hyperfine and Zeeman pumping is developed and its results are compared with experimental measurements performed at relatively weak pump irradiance. The interplay between the two pumping processes generates intriguing interaction conditions, often overlooked by simplified models., Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures

An AC susceptometer operating in the range of 10 Hz to 100 kHz and at room temperature is designed, built, calibrated and used to characterize the magnetic behaviour of coated magnetic nanoparticles. Other weakly magnetic materials (in amounts of some millilitres) can be analyzed as well. The setup makes use of a DAQ-based acquisition system in order to determine the amplitude and the phase of the sample magnetization as a function of the frequency of the driving magnetic field, which is powered by a digital waveform generator. A specific acquisition strategy makes the response directly proportional to the sample susceptibility, taking advantage of the differential nature of the coil assembly. A calibration method based on conductive samples is developed., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, 19 refs

Near exit plane non-resonant light induced fluorescence spectroscopy is performed in a Hall effect low-power Xenon thruster at discharge voltage of 250V and anode flow rate of 0.7mg/sec. Measurement of the axial and radial velocity components are performed, exciting the 6s[3/2]_2-->6p[3/2]_2 transition at 823.16nm in XeI and the 5d[4]_(7/2)-->6p[3]_(5/2) transition at 834.724nm in XeII. No significant deviation from the thermal velocity is observed for XeI. Two most probable ion velocities are registered at a given position with respect to the thruster axis, which are mainly attributed to different areas of creation of ions inside the acceleration channel. The spatial resolution of the set-up is limited by the laser beam size (radius of the order of 0.5mm) and the fluorescence collection optics, which have a view spot diameter of 8mm., Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures

We present a theoretical and experimental study of spin precession in the presence of both a static and an orthogonal oscillating magnetic field, which is nonresonant, not harmonically related to the Larmor precession, and of arbitrary strength. Due to the intrinsic nonlinearity of the system, previous models that account only for the simple sinusoidal case cannot be applied. We suggest an alternative approach and develop a model that closely agrees with experimental data produced by an optical-pumping atomic magnetometer. We demonstrate that an appropriately designed nonharmonic field makes it possible to extract a linear response to a weak dc transverse field, despite the scalar nature of the magnetometer, which normally causes a much weaker, second-order response., Comment: Published version has some minor changes; 22 pages and 8 pictures

In this paper we derive a new class of sum rules for products of the Bessel functions of first kind. Using standard algebraic manipulations we extend some of the well known properties of $J_n$. Some physical applications of the results are also discussed. A comparison with the Newberger[J. Math. Phys. \textbf{23} (1982) 1278] sum rules is performed on a typical example., Comment: Published in Journal of Mathematical Physics, 9 pages, no pictures

We report on a two-channel magnetometer based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation in a Cs glass cell with buffer gas. The Cs atoms are optically pumped and probed by free running diode lasers tuned to the D$_2$ line. A wide frequency modulation of the pump laser is used to produce both synchronous Zeeman optical pumping and hyperfine repumping. The magnetometer works in an unshielded environment and spurious signal from distant magnetic sources is rejected by means of differential measurement. In this regime the magnetometer simultaneously gives the magnetic field modulus and the field difference. Rejection of the common-mode noise allows for high-resolution magnetometry with a sensitivity of \pthz{2}. This sensitivity, in conjunction with long-term stability and a large bandwidth, makes possible to detect water proton magnetization and its free induction decay in a measurement volume of 5 cm$^3$, Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Improved version (v2). Accepted for publication

An automated magnetometer suitable for long lasting measurement under stable and controllable experimental conditions has been implemented. The device is based on Coherent Population Trapping (CPT) produced by a multi-frequency excitation. CPT resonance is observed when a frequency comb, generated by diode laser current modulation, excites Cs atoms confined in a $\pi/4\times(2.5)^2\times1 \textrm{cm}^3$, 2 Torr $N_2$ buffered cell. A fully optical sensor is connected through an optical fiber to the laser head allowing for truly remote sensing and minimization of the field perturbation. A detailed analysis of the CPT resonance parameters as a function of the optical detuning has been made in order to get high sensitivity measurements. The magnetic field monitoring performances and the best sensitivity obtained in a balanced differential configuration of the sensor are presented., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, appearing in JOSA B (7?) 2007

We present first, encouraging results obtained with an experimental apparatus based on Coherent Population Trapping and aimed at detecting biological (cardiac) magnetic field in magnetically compensated, but unshielded volume. The work includes magnetic-field and magnetic-field-gradient compensation and uses differential detection for cancellation of (common mode) magnetic noise. Synchronous data acquisition with a reference (electro-cardiographic or pulse-oximetric) signal allows for improving the S/N in an off-line averaging. The set-up has the relevant advantages of working at room temperature with a small-size head, and of allowing for fast adjustments of the dc bias magnetic field, which results in making the sensor suitable for detecting the bio-magnetic signal at any orientation with respect to the heart axis and in any position around the patient chest, which is not the case with other kinds of magnetometers., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, submitted to JOSA B on 30 March 2007. A problem may exist with fig.2, please download separately as eps