Transient evolution of optical magnetic resonance in rubidium vapor.

Abstract

We observe the transient evolution of the laser pumped magnetic resonance in a paraffin-coated rubidium vapor cell and analyze the phenomena numerically by using the four-level density matrix. With the increased radio frequency (RF) sweep rate, the traditional Lorentz signal turns to an asymmetric shape at low sweep rate and starts to oscillate at a high sweep rate. The transient oscillation's features, including frequency and the decay time, are studied by suddenly turning on the RF field to the resonance Larmor precession frequency under the different RF field and light field parameters. The experimental result reveals the transient signals' strong dependence on the RF field power and light power. Especially, the transient oscillation frequency primarily depends on the RF field's power and whatever power the laser light is. When the laser power is lower, the transient oscillation frequency is proportional to the RF field's amplitude. These transient evolution signals are also confirmed with the numerical calculations based on the density-matrix equation of motion.