Influence of transverse configuration of running laser beam on sub-Doppler structure of its absorption spectrum in thin gas cell

Abstract

The theoretical investigation is conducted of the strong dependence of sub-Doppler resonances of absorption on the transverse intensity profile of a monochromatic laser beam propagating through a thin cell with rarefied gas medium. The resonances under study correspond to centers of quantum transitions and are caused by the specificity of the optical pumping of atoms during their flight between the walls of a thin cell whose internal thickness is many times smaller than its diameter. The detection of narrow high-contrast sub-Doppler absorption resonances, which are prospective for efficient laser-frequency stabilization, can be facilitated by the proper selection of the radial distribution of the light beam intensity in the cell’s transverse cross section.