Ultra-Slow Atomic Beam Generation by Velocity Selective Resonance

We describe a method to generate an ultra-slow atomic beam by velocity selective resonance （VSR）. A VSR experiment on a metastable helium beam in a magnetic field is presented and the results show that the transverse velocity of the deflected beam can be cooled and precisely controlled to less than the recoil velocity, depending on the magnitude of the magnetic field. We extend this idea to a cold atomic cloud to produce an ultra-slow 87Rb beam that can be used as a source of an atomic fountain clock or a space clock.     

基于磁通门和时域数字鉴频的磁场锁定系统

永磁型磁共振仪器的磁体易受温度和其他环境磁场干扰,造成主磁场波动,进而影响仪器测量的重复性和准确性.本文讨论了两种解决磁场波动的锁定方法：一方面,通过磁通门传感器对环境波动引起的瞬态磁场进行高灵敏探测,然后采用现场可编程门阵列进行实时处理并计算磁场补偿量;另一方面,针对环境温度变化引起的缓慢磁场偏移,则采用时域数字鉴频锁场方法,在对锁样品进行射频激发后,将磁共振信号通过混频变换到较低的频率范围,再转换为方波,然后直接送入现场可编程门阵列进行周期测量,并计算磁场补偿量.将两种方法获得的磁场补偿量叠加后,再转换为电流信号驱动安装在磁体上的B₀补偿线圈,并研制了一套磁场锁定系统,以实现对磁场的锁定. 在0.5 T食品快检磁共振分析仪上进行测试验证,结果显示当受到瞬态干扰时,可将磁场稳定在±4 Hz（对应磁场为±0.093 9 μT）范围内,同时也可以精准测量温度造成的磁场偏移,该结果验证了本文磁场锁定方法的可行性.     

Magnetic field measurement based on a stimulated two-photon Raman transition

The magnetic field in the microwave interaction zone of the fountain atomic clock was measured by stimulated Raman transitions.By measuring the two-photon transition frequency between the Zeeman levels of the two ground states,we achieved a magnetic field measurement accuracy of the order of 0.28 nT.This method is immune to the Doppler shift and the AC Stark shift.The second order Zeeman shift of the fountain clock is 170.7×10-15,with the uncertainty of 7.2×10-16.     

Evaluation of second-order Zeeman frequency shift in NTSC-F2

Caesium atomic fountain clock is a primary frequency standard, which realizes the duration of second. Its performance is mostly dominated by the frequency accuracy, and the C-field induced second-order Zeeman frequency shift is the major effect, which limits the accuracy improvement. By applying a high-precision current supply and high-performance magnetic shieldings, the C-field stability has been improved significantly. In order to achieve a uniform C-field, this paper proposes a doubly wound C-field solenoid, which compensates the radial magnetic field along the atomic flight region generated by the lead-out single wire and improves the accuracy evaluation of second-order Zeeman frequency shift. Based on the stable and uniform C-field, we launch the selected atoms to different heights and record the magnetically sensitive Ramsey transition|F = 3, mF=-1 → |F = 4, mF=-1 central frequency, obtaining this frequency shift as 131.03×10~(-15) and constructing the C-field profile(σ = 0.15 n T). Meanwhile, during normal operation, we lock NTSC-F2 to the central frequency of the magnetically sensitive Ramsey transition |F = 3, mF=-1 → |F = 4, mF=-1 fringe for ten consecutive days and record this frequency fluctuation in time domain. The first evaluation of second-order Zeeman frequency shift uncertainty is 0.10×10~(-15). The total deviation of the frequency fluctuation on the clock transition induced by the C-field instability is less than 2.6×10~(-17). Compared with NTSC-F1, NTSC-F2, there appears a significant improvement.     

基于垂直引线和调制电流的三线环形磁导引

提出了一种在单层原子芯片上实现闭合且导引中心无磁场零点的环形磁导引的新方案. 芯片表面刻蚀的导线结构由同心等距三环线构成, 三环线的电流引线垂直于芯片表面. 加载直流电流后, 这种构型即可在芯片表面附近产生闭合的环形磁导引. 交流调制三环线电流后, 环形磁导引的势能极小值附近不再存在磁场零点且其磁场起伏小. 这种方案可用于基于物质波干涉的原子芯片陀螺仪研究.     

地磁环境下基于SQUID三轴磁强计的矢量稳场

超导量子干涉器件(Superconducting Quantum Interference Device, 简称 SQUID) 是一种高灵敏度的矢量磁探测器. 本文采用低温超导SQUID 作为传感器, 搭建了一套三轴矢量磁场稳定装置. 该系统由两个三轴 SQUID磁强计模块、 比例积分微分(PID) 控制器和反馈线圈组组成. 在该系统的矢量稳场下, 磁场波动峰峰值在有效带宽内可以降低四个数量级, 可达pT 量级, 稳场效果显著. 此技术可以满足大部分需要稳定磁场, 如高灵敏度磁传感器的标定等应用场合.     

Non-resonant magneto-optical effects in cold atoms

We report a novel nonresonant magneto-optical effect in cold atoms and present the optimized parameters of the biased magnetic field, the incident probe light intensity, and the probe detuning to obtain the maximal signal of the magneto-optical rotation. This detection scheme may further improve the stability of the cold atom clock.     

Cold collision frequency shift in two-dimensional atomic hydrogen

We report a measurement of the cold collision frequency shift in atomic hydrogen gas adsorbed on the surface of superfluid (4)He at T approximately < 90 mK. Using two-photon electron and nuclear magnetic resonance in 4.6 T field we separate the resonance line shifts due to the dipolar and exchange interactions, both proportional to surface density sigma. We find the clock shift Delta nu(c) = -1.0(1) x 10(-7) Hz cm(-2) x sigma, which is about 100 times smaller than the value predicted by the mean field theory and known scattering lengths in the three-dimensional case.     

抽运-检测型非线性磁光旋转铷原子磁力仪的研究

报道了一种抽运-检测型的非线性磁光旋转铷原子磁力仪.其原理是线偏振光通过处于外磁场环境中被极化的原子介质后,由于原子对线偏振光中左、右圆偏成分不同的吸收和色散,导致光的偏振方向会产生与磁场相关的转动.分析了该磁力仪的工作原理,并测试了它对不同磁场大小的响应.测试结果表明,磁力仪测量范围为100—100000 nT,极限灵敏度为0.2 p T/Hz~(1/2),磁场分辨率为0.1 p T.进一步研究了不同磁场下原子系综极化态的横向弛豫时间,讨论了原子磁力仪高磁场采样率的获得方法.本文的原子磁力仪在5000—100000 n T的磁场测量范围内磁场采样率可实现1—1000 Hz范围内可调,能够测量低频的微弱交变磁场.本文的研究内容为大磁场测量范围、高灵敏度、高磁场采样率的原子磁力仪研制提供了重要参考.     

光与原子纠缠存储寿命与磁场噪声关系的实验研究

在冷原子系综中,利用自发拉曼散射过程产生光与原子纠缠,测量了恢复效率随存储时间的关系。实验结果显示在没有施加轴向磁场时的存储寿命仅仅只有40μs。而在施加轴向磁场的情况下,存储时间在50μs以后甚至在400μs时都可以测量到明显的恢复信号,存储寿命明显高于100μs,远高于未施加轴向磁场时的情况。对这个实验现象进行分析认为:原子所处的环境中存在磁场噪声的影响,当没有轴向磁场时,噪声会扰乱自旋波信号的相位;当有轴向磁场时,磁场噪声对自旋波相位的影响便被抑制了。     

移动地面站宽温度跟瞄系统信标接收镜头

为了保证移动地面站光电跟瞄系统在野外复杂环境下具有稳定的跟踪精度,针对-20~40℃宽工作温度范围下信标接收镜头成像光斑弥散的问题,进行了光学系统与光机结构的设计,提出了一种以步进电机驱动补偿镜组的温度补偿方案。分析了极限温度条件下光学系统性能的改变以及不同温度补偿方案的效果,针对光电跟瞄系统的指标要求,设计了光机结构并进行了力学、光学性能的分析。分析结果表明,系统一阶模态为370 Hz;补偿镜组向前移动0.695 mm能够补偿-20℃时光学系统成像光斑的弥散,令中心视场光斑尺寸由73μm降为3.2μm,边缘视场光斑尺寸由77μm降为15.7μm;向后移动0.885 6 mm能够补偿40℃时成像光斑的弥散,令中心视场光斑尺寸由94μm降为3.9μm,边缘视场光斑尺寸由96μm降为21.8μm;使用ZYGO干涉仪对光学系统的像质进行检测,波像差RMS值(均方根值)为0.061λ(λ=632.8 nm),PV值(峰谷值)为0.466λ,能够满足跟瞄系统指标要求。     

锶原子光晶格钟自旋极化谱线的探测

87Sr原子存在核自旋,在磁场作用下原子能级会分裂成不同塞曼子能级.通过光抽运对原子进行自旋极化,其自旋极化谱线的探测为锶光钟系统的闭环锁定提供精确的频率参考.本文对~(87)Sr原子钟跃迁能级5s~2~1S_0→5s5p~3P_0中的m_F=+9/2和m_F=-9/2的塞曼磁子能级自旋极化谱线进行了探测.经过一级宽带冷却和二级窄线宽冷却与俘获后,锶冷原子温度为3.9μK,原子数目为3.5×10~6.利用邻近"魔术波长"的813.426 nm半导体激光光源实现水平方向的一维光晶格装载.采用归一化探测方法用线宽为Hz量级的698 nm钟激光对~1S_0→~3P_0偶极禁戒跃迁进行探测,在150 ms的探测时间下获得线宽为6.7 Hz的钟跃迁简并谱.在磁光阱竖直方向施加一个300 mGs的偏置磁场获得塞曼分裂谱,并通过689 nm的圆偏振自旋极化光进行光抽运,最终在探测时间为150 ms时,获得左右旋极化谱线线宽分别为6.2 Hz和6.8 Hz.     

基于AD7791的磁通门传感器数据采集与存储系统

针对磁通门传感器检测到的多路弱磁信号,设计了一种以AD7791为采集核心的小信号采集系统,解决了六路AD采集的同步问题。以MSP430F5437超低功耗单片机为主控,运用无磁转台测试实验,实现了数据的存储和探头姿态的校正,后采用最小二乘法进行数据修正。经实验验证,该采集系统可稳定于野外长时间工作(半年以上),零点稳定度由1.7nT/h、2.4nT/h、1.4nT/h(XYZ三轴)下降到0.2nT/h、0.31nT/h、0.23nT/h,采集精度(参考地磁场49535nT)由49516nT下降到49534nT。有效的降低了系统测量误差,精度明显提高。     

Dynamic range and linearity improvement for zero-field single-beam atomic magnetometer

Zero-field single-beam atomic magnetometers with transverse parametric modulation for ultra-weak magnetic field detection have attracted widespread attention recently. In this study, we present a comprehensive response model and propose a modification method of conventional first harmonic response by introducing the second harmonic correction. The proposed modification method gives improvement in dynamic range and reduction of linearity error. Additionally, our modification method shows suppression of response instability caused by optical intensity and frequency fluctuations. An atomic magnetometer with single-beam configuration is built to compare the performance between our proposed method and the conventional method. The results indicate that our method's magnetic field response signal achieves a 5-fold expansion of dynamic range from 2 nT to 10 nT, with the linearity error decreased from 5% to 1%. Under the fluctuations of 5% for optical intensity and ±15 GHz detuning of frequency, the proposed modification method maintains intensity-related instability less than 1% and frequency-related instability less than 8% while the conventional method suffers 15% and 38%, respectively. Our method is promising for future high-sensitive and long-term stable optically pumped atomic sensors.     

Effect of vacuum fluctuations on the motion of an electron in the magnetic field of an accelerator

The Langevin form of the quasiclassical approximation for an electron in a magnetic field is used to find the most general expression in the first order in fa for the vacuum-fluctuation Lorentz force. It is shown that besides the mechanism of excitation of fluctuation oscillations due to the recoil momentum there also exists a transverse (relative to the photon wave vector) fluctuation force due to the incomplete compensation of the electric force and the transverse component of the magnetic Lorentz force.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 42–46, March, 1981.     

Enhanced cold mercury atom production with two-dimensional magneto-optical trap

A cold atom source is important for quantum metrology and precision measurement. To reduce the quantum projection noise limit in optical lattice clock, one can increase the number of cold atoms and reduce the dead time by enhancing the loading rate. In this work, we realize an enhanced cold mercury atom source based on a two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical trap (MOT). The vacuum system is composed of two titanium chambers connected with a differential pumping tube. Two stable cooling laser systems are adopted for the 2D-MOT and the three-dimensional (3D)-MOT, respectively. Using an optimized 2D-MOT and push beam, about 1.3×10⁶ atoms, which are almost an order of magnitude higher than using a pure 3D-MOT, are loaded into the 3D-MOT for ²⁰²Hg atoms. This enhanced cold mercury atom source is helpful in increasing the frequency stability of a neutral mercury lattice clock.     

Kinetic behavior of cold 87Rb atoms in integrating sphere

Kinetic behavior of cold ⁸⁷Rb atoms in integrating sphere is presented under adiabatic release. Decay time of cold atom cloud is deduced by calculation of residual cold atom number evolution under adiabatic release and agrees well with our experimental observation. Number evolutions of residual cold atoms under different kinds of acceleration have been studied in detail. Sequence laser pulse cooling is key technique for the successive operation of cold atom clock. The process of laser pulse cooling is numerically simulated and fitted with experiments, optimized distribution of cooling and dead time to get enough cold atoms is put forward to satisfy the demand of cold atom clock.     

An effective pumping method for increasing atomic utilization in a compact cold atom clock

We propose a simple pumping method to increase the effective population of cold atoms in the clock state and investigate the factors which affect the pumping efficiency in cold atom systems. We report the theory and demonstrate the corresponding experiment in an ⁸⁷Rb integrating sphere cold atom clock. The experimental results show that the population of cold atoms in the Zeeman sublevel |F=2, m_F=0> is approximately 1.62 times that of the result using optical pumping alone. This method can also be applied to increase the effective population in any one of the target Zeeman sublevels in other cold atom systems.     

Production and guidance of pulsed atomic beams on chip

We demonstrated two experimental methods of producing and guiding pulsed atomic beams on chip. One is to trap atoms first in a U-type magneto-optical trap on the chip, then transfer them to the magnetic guide field and push them simultaneously by a continuous force from the power imbalance of the magneto-optical trap laser beams hence the pulsed cold atom beams are produced and move along the magnetic guide to the destination. The other is to trap atoms directly by a H-type magneto-optical trap, then push them to make them move along the magnetic guide field, thus high rate cold atom beams can be produced and guided on the chip.     

冷原子的双阱微磁表面囚禁

提出了两种新颖的采用载流导线的双阱微磁表面囚禁方案(即双U形与双Z形导线囚禁)。通过改变囚禁方案中直导线中的电流方向，即可将双U形导线囚禁改变为双Z形导线囚禁；如果逐渐减小直导线中的电流大小，即可将一个双阱微磁囚禁连续地合并为一个单阱微磁囚禁，反之亦然。详细计算和分析了上述两种载流导线囚禁方案的磁场及其梯度的空间分布。研究发现在导线中通以较小的电流，即可在导线表面附近产生很大的磁场梯度及其曲率。例如当电流为O．2A时，其磁场梯度和曲率可分别达到0．2T／cm和10T／cm2以上。由于双U形导线囚禁中存在磁场零点，而双Z形导线囚禁中仅存在磁场最小值，所以双U形导线囚禁仅适用于制备双样品磁光囚禁(MOT)或研究中性原子的冷碰撞，而双Z形导线囚禁除了可用于研究原子的冷碰撞之外，还可以用于制备双样品玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚(BEC)或实验研究双阱玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚的性质等。