Measuring the populations in each hyperfine ground state of alkali atoms in a vapor cell while limiting the contribution of the background vapor
US8907276B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 5, 2013 |
| Grant date | Dec 9, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 18, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03B17/00
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for measuring the population of atoms in a vapor cell comprises collecting a sample of atoms, applying radio frequency (RF) spectroscopy to the sample such that a first portion of the atoms are in an upper ground state and a second portion of the atoms are in a lower ground state, and applying light to the sample to produce a first fluorescence such that all atoms are left in the lower ground state. The method further comprises measuring a population of the atoms in the upper ground state based on the first fluorescence, applying an RF pulse to the sample to transfer the atoms in the lower ground state to the upper ground state, and applying light to the sample after the RF pulse is applied to produce a second fluorescence. A population of all the atoms in the sample is then measured based on the second fluorescence.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.