Velocity-selective sublevel resonance of atoms with an array of current-carrying wires

TL;DR

This paper investigates velocity-selective resonance transitions in rubidium atoms caused by a spatially periodic magnetic field, revealing how atomic motion and field oscillations influence resonance behavior in the RF range.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical and experimental analysis of motion-induced resonance in atoms within a periodic magnetic field, highlighting the effects of temporal oscillations and atomic velocity.

Findings

Resonance peaks split due to temporal oscillations of the magnetic field.

Atomic velocity causes Doppler shifts affecting resonance conditions.

Theoretical model links energy change to internal atomic transitions.

Abstract

Resonance transitions between the Zeeman sublevels of optically-polarized Rb atoms traveling through a spatially periodic magnetic field are investigated in a radio-frequency (rf) range of sub-MHz. The atomic motion induces the resonance when the Zeeman splitting is equal to the frequency at which the moving atoms feel the magnetic field oscillating. Additional temporal oscillation of the spatially periodic field splits a motion-induced resonance peak into two by an amount of this oscillation frequency. At higher oscillation frequencies, it is more suitable to consider that the resonance is mainly driven by the temporal field oscillation, with its velocity-dependence or Doppler shift caused by the atomic motion through the periodic field. A theoretical description of motion-induced resonance is also given, with emphasis on the translational energy change associated with the internal transition.