Collision-induced spin noise

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel spin-noise spectroscopy method that measures optical polarization rotation noise to study atomic collisions under ambient conditions, offering high bandwidth and resolution.

Contribution

The paper presents a new spin-noise spectroscopic technique that operates in ambient conditions with high bandwidth and resolution, enabling detailed collision studies.

Findings

Observed collision-induced spin noise in alkali atoms

Precisely determined collision parameters such as diameter and well depth

Demonstrated the technique's effectiveness under ambient conditions

Abstract

Collision phenomena are ubiquitous and of importance in determining the microscopic structures and intermolecular interactions of atoms and molecules. The existing approaches are mostly based on atomic or molecular scatterings, which are hindered by the inconvenience of using ultra-high vacuum and low temperature systems. Here we demonstrate a new spin-noise spectroscopic approach by measuring optical polarization rotation noise of the probe light, which operates with simple apparatus and ambient conditions. Our approach features tens of gigahertz bandwidth and one part-per-million resolution, outperforming existing spin-noise techniques. Enabled by the new technique, we observe the collision-induced spin noise of alkali atoms, and precisely determine key collision parameters, such as collision diameter, well depth, and dominant interaction type. Our work provides a new tool to study a broad range of collision phenomena under ambient conditions.