Towards a first observation of magneto-electric directional anisotropy and linear birefringence in gases

TL;DR

This paper reports progress in measuring tiny magneto-electric effects in gases using high-precision optical frequency metrology within a ring cavity, aiming to observe magneto-electric directional anisotropy and birefringence.

Contribution

It introduces a novel experimental setup capable of detecting small magneto-electric effects in gases with high sensitivity, advancing the field of optical anisotropy measurement.

Findings

Achieved the sensitivity required to detect magneto-electric effects in gases.

Developed a high finesse ring cavity for precise optical measurements.

Outlined the experimental procedure for future measurements.

Abstract

In this contribution to PSAS'2010 we report on recent progress on an experiment aimed at measuring small optical directional anisotropies by frequency metrology in a high finesse ring cavity. We focus on our first experimental goal, the measurement of magneto-electric effects in gases. After a review of the expected effects in our set-up, we present the apparatus and the measurement procedure, showing that we already have the necessary sensitivity to start novel experiments.