Spin-exchange collision mixing of the K and Rb ac Stark shifts

Abstract

In a hybrid pumping alkali vapor cell that both K and Rb are filled, K atom spins are optically pumped by laser and Rb atom spins are polarized by the K spins through spin exchange. We find that the AC Stark shift of the Rb atoms is composed of not only the AC Stark shift of the Rb atoms caused by the far off resonant pumping laser which is tuned to the K absorption lines, but also the AC Stark shift of the K atom spins. The mixing of the light shifts through fast spin exchange between K and Rb atoms are studied in this paper and we demonstrate a K-Rb-21Ne co-magnetometer in which the AC Stark shift of the Rb atoms are reduced by the collision mixing.