Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present an optical technique for suppressing relaxation in alkali-metal spins using a single off-resonant laser beam. The method harnesses a physical mechanism that synchronizes Larmor precession in the two hyperfine manifolds, protecting magnetic coherence from relaxation caused by spin-exchange and other hyperfine-changing collisions. We experimentally demonstrate up to a ninefold reduction in decoherence of warm cesium vapor, achieving simultaneous protection from both spin-exchange relaxation and partial depolarization from coated cell walls. The technique substantially enhances the spin precession quality factor and maintains a stable gyromagnetic ratio independent of spin polarization, even under frequent collisions. These findings offer a pathway for mitigating dominant relaxation channels in alkali-metal-based applications and experiments, particularly in anti-relaxation-coated cells.
Source: Physical Review Letters
DOI: 10.1103/fncz-b3yy
Authors: Avraham Berrebi, Mark Dikopoltsev, Ori Katz, Or Katz
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4410630715