B. Barrett

Measurement of excited-state lifetime using two-pulse photon echoes in rubidium vapor

We report a measurement of the 5P3/2 excited-state lifetime using two-pulse photon echoes in Rb vapor. The measurement is precise to ∼1% and agrees with the best measurement of atomic lifetime in Rb. The results suggest that a measurement precise to ∼0.25% is possible through additional data acquisition and study of systematic effects. The experiment relies on short optical pulses generated from a cw laser using acousto-optic modulators. The excitation pulses are on resonance with the F=3-->F′=4 transition in Rb85 or the F=2-->F′=3 transition in Rb87. The resulting photon echo signal is detected using a heterodyne detection technique. The excited-state lifetime is determined by measuring the exponential decay of the echo intensity as a function of the time between the excitation pulses. We also present a study of the echo intensity as a function of excitation pulse area and compare the results to simulations based on optical Bloch equations. The simulations include the effects of spontaneous emission as well as spatial and temporal variations of the intensities of excitation pulses.

Prospects for Precise Measurements with Echo Atom Interferometry

Echo atom interferometers have emerged as interesting alternatives to Raman interferometers for the realization of precise measurements of the gravitational acceleration

Precise determination of atomic g-factor ratios from a dual isotope magneto-optical trap

g

Measuring the atomic recoil frequency using a modified grating-echo atom interferometer

and the determination of the atomic fine structure through measurements of the atomic recoil frequency

Time-Domain Interferometry with Laser-Cooled Atoms

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Numerical simulation of a multilevel atom interferometer

. Here we review the development of different configurations of echo interferometers that are best suited to achieve these goals. We describe experiments that utilize near-resonant excitation of laser-cooled rubidium atoms by a sequence of standing wave pulses to measure

Investigations of optical pumping for magnetometry using an auto-locking laser system

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Progress toward a precision measurement of the atomic recoil frequency using an echo-type atom interferometer

with a statistical uncertainty of 37 parts per billion (ppb) on a time scale of

Observation of Superfluorescent Emissions from Laser Cooled Rb Atoms

\sim 50

Observation of superfluorescent emissions from laser-cooled atoms

ms and