Hybrid spin-exchange optical pumping of He-3
Abstract
We demonstrate spin-exchange optical pumping of He-3 using a "hybrid" K-Rb vapor mixture. The Rb atoms absorb light from a standard laser at 795 nm, then collisionally polarize the potassium atoms. Spin-exchange collisions of K and He-3 atoms then transfer the angular momentum to the He-3 with much greater efficiency than Rb-He-3. For a K-rich vapor, the efficiency of the hybrid spin-exchange collisions approaches 1/4, an order of magnitude greater than achieved by pure Rb pumping. We present the first measurements of actual photon efficiencies (polarized nuclei produced per absorbed photon), and show that a new parasitic absorption process limits the total efficiencies for both hybrid and pure Rb pumping.
Department
Physics
Publication Date
9-16-2003
Journal Title
Physical Review Letters
Publisher
AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.123003
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Babcock, E.; Nelson, I.; Kadlecek, S.; Driehuys, B.; Anderson, L. W.; Hersman, F. William; and Walker, T. G., "Hybrid spin-exchange optical pumping of He-3" (2003). Physical Review Letters. 127.
https://scholars.unh.edu/physics_facpub/127
Rights
© 2003 The American Physical Society
