All-optical reconstruction of atomic ground-state population

TL;DR

This paper introduces an all-optical method to reconstruct atomic ground-state populations using absorption measurements, enabling detailed analysis and calibration of quantum optical systems.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel optical technique for reconstructing atomic ground-state populations from absorption data, improving analysis precision in quantum optics.

Findings

Successfully implemented on rubidium vapor

Verified and calibrated numerical models

Discussed limitations due to dipole matrix symmetry

Abstract

The population distribution within the ground-state of an atomic ensemble is of large significance in a variety of quantum optics processes. We present a method to reconstruct the detailed population distribution from a set of absorption measurements with various frequencies and polarizations, by utilizing the differences between the dipole matrix elements of the probed transitions. The technique is experimentally implemented on a thermal rubidium vapor, demonstrating a population-based analysis in two optical pumping examples. The results are used to verify and calibrate an elaborated numerical model, and the limitations of the reconstruction scheme which result from the symmetry properties of the dipole matrix elements are discussed.