Isolating Pure Quadratic Zeeman Splitting

TL;DR

This paper presents a method to isolate and control the quadratic Zeeman effect in rubidium-87 atoms, enabling precise manipulation of spin states for advanced quantum applications.

Contribution

The authors introduce a theoretical and experimental technique to induce and compensate for the quadratic Zeeman effect, isolating it from the linear component in atomic spin systems.

Findings

Successful experimental demonstration of quadratic Zeeman effect isolation

Controlled superposition generation between magnetic sublevels

Potential for improved quantum-state control and engineering

Abstract

Nonlinear magnetic interactions provide access to complex quantum spin dynamics and thus enable the study of intriguing physical phenomena. However, these interactions are often dominated by the linear Zeeman effect, which can complicate system dynamics and make their analysis more challenging. In this article, we theoretically and experimentally introduce a method to induce the quadratic Zeeman effect while effectively compensating for its linear counterpart. By isolating the quadratic Zeeman contributions, we demonstrate and analyze controlled superposition generation between specific magnetic sublevels in room-temperature rubidium-87 atoms. This study opens avenues for controlling any spin system, regardless of its total angular momentum, which we plan to explore further in the context of quantum-state tomography and engineering (e.g., spin squeezing).