Coherent population trapping in aΛconfiguration coupled by magnetic dipole interactions

Abstract

We report our study on coherent population trapping (CPT) in a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration coupled by magnetic dipole interactions. The $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration is formed by bichromatic radio-frequency fields coupling a pair of Zeeman sublevels in one hyperfine level of an alkali-metal atom to another sublevel in the other hyperfine level. The Zeeman sublevel at the apex is coupled to a state in the $nP$ manifold via an optical transition on one of the spectroscopic $D$ lines to induce optical pumping to a dark state. The configuration is closed without leakage to other Zeeman sublevels. We use lithium atoms in an optical trap for our experimental study. The system allows independent control of the main parameters characterizing CPT, which include the upper-state decay rate and the decoherence rate as well as the Rabi frequencies. By turning off the applied fields, the system is frozen so that its quantum state can be measured precisely. We studied the line shapes and dynamics of the CPT system, and measured the phase relation of the dark superposition state to find excellent agreement with theory. The possible application of the scheme as a method to cool optically trapped atoms below the recoil limit in a manner analogous to velocity-selective coherent population trapping is discussed.