Testing the effect of surface coatings on alkali atom polarization lifetimes

Autor: Steven L. Bernasek, Yves J. Chabal, S. Rivillon-Amy, David M. Rampulla, Michael Romalis, Scott J. Seltzer
Rok vydání: 2008
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Applied Physics. 104:103116
ISSN: 1089-7550
0021-8979
DOI: 10.1063/1.2985913
Popis: The evaluation of different surface coatings used in alkali metal atomic magnetometers is necessary for the improvement of sensitivity of these devices. A method to measure the polarization lifetime of alkali atoms in the region between substrates with different coatings was developed to determine the effectiveness of the coating at preserving alkali spin polarization as well as chemical compatibility and high-temperature stability. Multiple coatings can be compared under identical experimental conditions, using an experimental geometry that allows surface characterization before and after evaluation of the polarization lifetime. Multilayered, cross-linked octadecyltrichlorosilane films, alkyltrichlorosilane monolayers, and octadecylphosphonic acid monolayers were evaluated using this approach.
Databáze: OpenAIRE