Probing an Excited-State Atomic Transition Using Hyperfine Quantum Beat Spectroscopy

Wade, C.G.; Sibalic, N.; Keaveney, J.; Adams, C.S.; Weatherill, K.J.

doi:10.1103/physreva.90.033424

Probing an Excited-State Atomic Transition Using Hyperfine Quantum Beat Spectroscopy

Wade, C.G.; Sibalic, N.; Keaveney, J.; Adams, C.S.; Weatherill, K.J.

Authors

C.G. Wade

N. Sibalic

J. Keaveney

C.S. Adams

Professor Kevin Weatherill k.j.weatherill@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

We describe a method to observe the dynamics of an excited-state transition in a room-temperature atomic vapor using hyperfine quantum beats. Our experiment using cesium atoms consists of a pulsed excitation of the D2 transition and continuous-wave driving of an excited-state transition from the 6P3/2 state to the 7S1/2 state. We observe quantum beats in the fluorescence from the 6P3/2 state which are modified by the driving of the excited-state transition. The Fourier spectrum of the beat signal yields evidence of Autler-Townes splitting of the 6P3/2, F=5 hyperfine level and Rabi oscillations on the excited-state transition. A detailed model provides qualitative agreement with the data, giving insight to the physical processes involved.

Citation

Wade, C., Sibalic, N., Keaveney, J., Adams, C., & Weatherill, K. (2014). Probing an Excited-State Atomic Transition Using Hyperfine Quantum Beat Spectroscopy. Physical Review A, 90, Article 033424. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.90.033424

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Sep 25, 2014
Deposit Date	Aug 19, 2014
Publicly Available Date	Sep 26, 2014
Journal	Physical Review A
Print ISSN	1050-2947
Electronic ISSN	1094-1622
Publisher	American Physical Society
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	90
Article Number	033424
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.90.033424

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