TY - JOUR
T1 - Reversal of the direction of population transfer between Zeeman sublevels in optical pumping
AU - Nafcha, Yehuda
AU - Albeck, Dan
AU - Rosenbluh, Michael
PY - 1991
Y1 - 1991
N2 - We have observed a sudden reversal in the direction of population transfer between nearly degenerate Zeeman sublevels during optical pumping of the cesium 6S1/2(F=4)6P3/2(F=5) cycling transition. As a result of the reversal, the number of atoms in an atomic beam, with quantum numbers 6S1/2 (F=4; mF=-4), is a function of laser frequency and has a sharp dispersive shape. A rate-equation model indicates that similar dispersive shapes for the population can be expected in the optical pumping of any nondegenerate system with more than two levels, if the level spacing is much smaller than the laser linewidth.
AB - We have observed a sudden reversal in the direction of population transfer between nearly degenerate Zeeman sublevels during optical pumping of the cesium 6S1/2(F=4)6P3/2(F=5) cycling transition. As a result of the reversal, the number of atoms in an atomic beam, with quantum numbers 6S1/2 (F=4; mF=-4), is a function of laser frequency and has a sharp dispersive shape. A rate-equation model indicates that similar dispersive shapes for the population can be expected in the optical pumping of any nondegenerate system with more than two levels, if the level spacing is much smaller than the laser linewidth.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=3543104774&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.67.2279
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.67.2279
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AN - SCOPUS:3543104774
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 67
SP - 2279
EP - 2282
JO - Physical Review Letters
JF - Physical Review Letters
IS - 17
ER -