Coherent transmission of light by atoms in the dense regime

• Grant number: 22/13359-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2022
• End date: October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Principal Investigator: Raul Celistrino Teixeira
• Grantee: Thales Martins Batista Pereira
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/23873-3 - Coherent transport of light in dense atomic clouds, AP.JP

Abstract

For the measurement of the coherent transmission of light by a cold atomic sample in the dense regime, the spectral quality of the light used for the transmission measurement is a fundamental quantity. The high-frequency noise to which laser light is subjected causes a spectral distribution around the central frequency that extends to many times the natural width of the atomic transition. This spectrally distant light is transmitted through the cloud, setting up a transmission signal background that prevents the measurement of the small transmission expected at resonance. In this way, the spectral filtering of the cloud is essential for the reliability of the measurement. This scientific initiation project comprises the implementation of a Fabry-Perot cavity to filter light on the way to the atoms, and the electronic locking of its length. The cavity length must be locked in relation to the light frequency, in order to guarantee maximum light transmission through the cavity. This cavity transmission will then be used for atomic excitation, and a reduction of at least a factor of 100 in the spectral "tail" of laser light is expected with this technique.