EIT-based Vector Magnetometry in Linear Polarized Light

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new EIT-based vector magnetometry technique using linearly polarized light, demonstrating high sensitivity and immunity to common magnetic field shifts in a proof-of-principle experiment.

Contribution

The paper presents a generalized EIT vector magnetometry principle with enhanced robustness and demonstrates its implementation on the D1 line of 87Rb.

Findings

Achieved magnetic field orientation sensitivity of 10^{-3} deg/Hz^{1/2}

Enhanced immunity to quadratic Zeeman and ac-Stark shifts

Successful demonstration on 87Rb D1 line

Abstract

We develop a generalized principle of EIT vector magnetometry based on high-contrast EIT-resonances and the symmetry of atom-light interaction in the linearly polarized bichromatic fields. Operation of such vector magnetometer on the D1 line of 87Rb has been demonstrated. The proposed compass-magnetometer has an increased immunity to shifts produced by quadratic Zeeman and ac-Stark effects, as well as by atom-buffer gas and atom-atom collisions. In our proof-of-principle experiment the detected sensitivity to magnetic field orientation is 10^{-3} deg/Hz^{1/2}, which is limited by laser intensity fluctuations, light polarization quality, and the magnitude of the magnetic field.