All-optical atomic magnetometry using an elliptically polarized amplitude-modulated light wave

Abstract

We study a resonant interaction of an elliptically polarized light wave with $^{87}$Rb vapor (D$_1$ line) exposed to a transverse magnetic field. A $5$$\times$$5$$\times$$5$~mm$^3$ glass vapor cell is used for the experiments. The wave intensity is modulated at the frequency $\Omega_m$. By scanning $\Omega_m$ near the Larmor frequency $\Omega_L$, a magnetic resonance (MR) can be observed as a change in the ellipticity parameter of the wave polarization. This method for observing MR allows to significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio compared to a classical Bell-Bloom scheme using a circularly polarized wave. The sensitivity of the magnetic field sensor is estimated to be $\approx\,$$130$~fT/$\surd$Hz in a $2$~kHz bandwidth, confidently competing with widely used Faraday-rotation Bell-Bloom schemes. The results can be used to develop a miniature all-optical magnetic field sensor for medicine and geophysics.