In: Optics Express, 2013, vol. 21, no. 13, p. 15121–15130
We report on a study of polarization-modulation experiments on the 4 → 3 hyperfine component of the D₁ transition in Cs vapor contained in a paraffin-coated cell. The laser beam’s polarization was switched between left- and right-circular polarization at a rate of 200 Hz. Variations of the transmitted light power were recorded while varying the amplitude of a transverse magnetic...
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In: Physical Review A, 2013, vol. 88, no. 1, p. 012508
In recent years diode laser sources have become widespread and reliable tools in magneto-optical spectroscopy. In particular, laser-driven atomic magnetometers have found a wide range of practical applications. More recently, so-called magnetically silent variants of atomic magnetometers have been developed. While in conventional magnetometers the magnetic resonance transitions between atomic...
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In: Physical Review A, 2013, vol. 87, no. 2, p. 022513
We present an experimental study of laser-induced fluorescence spectra of Cs atoms embedded in superfluid and solid ⁴He, as well as in dense supercritical fluid He. The studied temperature range is increased with respect to earlier studies by the use of intense laser pulses for the transient local heating of the helium sample. The analysis of the experimental spectra is based on two different...
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In: Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 2012, vol. 86, no. 5, p. 053427
We have studied the ground-state Hanle effect (GSHE) excited by linearly polarized laser light on the D₁ line of cesium atoms. We have solved algebraically the Liouville equation using the irreducible tensor formalism, and derive an analytical expression for the resonance line shapes in a magnetic field of arbitrary direction. The model predictions are in excellent agreement with experimental...
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In: Physica Scripta, 2012, vol. 2012, no. T149, p. 014010
A handheld device for rendering the signals produced by individual photons is presented in this paper. Electric pulses produced by individual photons in a photomultiplier are made audible by a small loudspeaker built into the housing. Output connectors allow the pulse signals to be displayed by an external amplifier/loudspeaker system, an oscilloscope, or to be further processed by pulse counting...
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In: European Journal of Physics, 2011, vol. 32, no. 6, p. 1535
The double-slit experiment has played an important role in physics, from supporting the wave theory of light, via the discussions of the wave–particle duality of light (and matter) to the foundations of modern quantum optics. Today it keeps playing an active role in the context of quantum optics experiments involving single photons. In this paper, we present a truly portable double-slit...
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In: Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular and Opical Physics, 2011, vol. 84, no. 5, p. 053421
We present a theoretical and experimental study of the resonant circularly-polarized-light-induced Hanle effect in the ground state of Cs vapor atoms in a paraffin-coated cell. The effect manifests itself as a narrow resonance (centered at B=0) in the dependence of the optical transmission coefficient of the vapor on the magnitude of an external magnetic field B⃗. We develop a theoretical model...
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In: Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 2011, vol. 84, no. 5, p. 052519
We present an experimental study of the laser-induced fluorescence spectra of Cu atoms in bulk liquid and solid helium matrices as well as in the dense plasma created by the laser ablation of copper in liquid helium. We observe transitions of the valence electron and of inner-shell electrons. The former produce structureless line shapes, a large broadening, and a blueshift. The latter practically...
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In: Europhysics Letters, 2011, vol. 96, no. 2, p. 26002
We discuss the interaction between nanometer-sized defects (atomic bubbles) and elementary excitations (phonons) in quantum fluids and solids. We observe that optical excitations in embedded metal atoms induce bubble expansions/contractions that create strongly localized phonon wave packets in the quantum matrix. We derive the structure and dynamics of these vibronic excitations from the...
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In: Journal of Low Temperature Physics, 2011, vol. 165, no. 3-4, p. 166-176
Laser ablation of metals in liquid helium results in the formation of metal filaments with diameters on the order of 2–10 nanometres and of spherical nanoparticles. In superfluid helium these nanowires aggregate into centimeter-sized networks. We study the morphology and the electric conductivity of these large aggregates, as well as extinction spectra and the crystalline structure of the...
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