The Space Density Distribution of Alkali Metal Atoms in a SERF Atomic Magnetometer

The number density of alkali atoms in vaper cell is an important parameter for atomic magnetometer. The vapor cell is usually heated to a high temperature for the number density exceed to 10(18) m(-3) to achieve the spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) process. The optical rotation of multichannel atomic magnetometers is affected by the number density distribution. We present an effective method for monitoring and analyzing the spatial distribution homogeneity of the atomic number density in the alkali metal cell within the SERF magnetometer. The numerical results from researching the model of electric heating films and ovens show that the temperature gradient increases with an increase in the cell temperature. This causes an nonuniform number density distribution based on the saturated vapor pressure curve. We present a laser absorption spectroscopy method by using the high-resolution beam profiling camera to record the power of the beam before and after the cell. An optimized optical system of the atomic magnetometer has been established by measuring the the number density variation in the spatial distribution in mm scale. The number density variation coefficient, which is introduced to evaluate the distribution homogeneity, increases from 0.0257 to 0.0333 when the temperature of the oven wall rises from 140 degrees C to 190 degrees C, showing the same trend as the simulation results. The optical rotation distribution is calculated according to the magnetometer output signal formula. This study is of great interest for optimizing the oven structure and improving the stability of atomic spin polarization and sensitivity of the multichannel magnetometer.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the spatial distribution homogeneity of the atomic number density in alkali metal cells within a SERF magnetometer, proposing an effective method for monitoring and analyzing it. Experimental results show that an increase in temperature leads to a nonuniform number density distribution, informing the optimization of the optical system of the atomic magnetometer.