Micrometric-Thin Cell Filled with Rb Vapor for High-Resolution Atomic Spectroscopy

Abstract

In strong magnetic fields (0.1–6 kG), many atomic lines closely spaced in frequency appear in the absorption spectrum of alkali metal vapors. Due to the small frequency interval between them and the Doppler broadening of the atomic lines, they are overlapped. For spectral separation and study of individual atomic lines, it is necessary to ensure their spectral narrowing. It is shown that this can be done using the saturated absorption method in an atomic vapor contained in a 30 μm-thick cell filled with Rb vapor. All 10 atomic transitions of Rb D₁ line are spectrally very well resolved in the second derivative of the saturated absorption spectrum. Complete resolution of atomic transitions makes this method useful for the determination of a wide range of magnetic fields. The theoretical curves describe the experimental results very well.