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arXiv · 1712.08717

Quantum-optical spectroscopy for plasma electric field measurements and diagnostics

David A. Anderson·Georg Raithel·Matthew Simons·Christopher L. Holloway
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Abstract

Measurements of plasma electric fields are essential to the advancement of plasma science and applications. Methods for non-invasive in situ measurements of plasma fields on sub-millimeter length scales with high sensitivity over a large field range remain an outstanding challenge. Here, we introduce and demonstrate a new method for plasma electric field measurement that employs electromagnetically induced transparency as a high-resolution quantum-optical probe for the Stark energy level shifts of plasma-embedded Rydberg atoms, which serve as highly-sensitive field sensors with a large dynamic range. The method is applied in diagnostics of plasmas photo-excited out of a cesium vapor. The plasma electric fields are extracted from spatially-resolved measurements of field-induced shape changes and shifts of Rydberg resonances in rubidium tracer atoms. Measurement capabilities over a range of plasma densities and temperatures are exploited to characterize plasmas in applied magnetic fields and to image electric-field distributions in cyclotron-heated plasmas.

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David A. Anderson, Georg Raithel, Matthew Simons, Christopher L. Holloway. 2017-12-23. Quantum-optical spectroscopy for plasma electric field measurements and diagnostics. https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.08717

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