Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: We report on the use of parametric excitation to coherently manipulate the collective spin state of an atomic vapor at room temperature. Signatures of the parametric excitation are detected in the ground-state spin evolution. These include the excitation spectrum of the atomic coherences, which contains resonances at frequencies characteristic of the parametric process. The amplitudes of the signal quadratures show amplification and attenuation, and their noise distribution is characterized by a strong asymmetry, similar to those observed in mechanical oscillators. The parametric excitation is produced by periodic modulation of the pumping beam, exploiting a Bell-Bloom-like technique widely used in atomic magnetometry. Notably, we find that the noise squeezing obtained by this technique enhances the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurements up to a factor of 10, and improves the performance of a Bell-Bloom magnetometer by a factor of 3.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2961289993