A novel approach to quantitative spectroscopy of atoms in a magnetic field and applications based on an atomic vapor cell with L=λ

We describe the so-called lambda-Zeeman method to investigate individual hyperfine transitions between Zeeman sublevels of atoms in an external magnetic field of 0.1 mT-0.25 T. Atoms are confined in a nanocell with thickness L=lambda, where lambda is the resonant wavelength (794 or 780 nm for D(1) or D(2) line, respectively, of Rb). Narrow resonances in the transmission spectrum of the nanocell are split into several components in a magnetic field; their frequency positions and transition probabilities depend on the B field. Possible applications are described, such as magnetometers with nanometric spatial resolution and tunable atomic frequency references. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.