Linear optical sub-Doppler Ramsey resonances in ultrathin gas cells

Abstract

The paper theoretically establishes and studies the sub-Doppler linear optical Ramsey resonances that arise under certain conditions near centers of optical transitions in the absorption of a sufficiently weak monochromatic light beam during its stationary propagation in the normal direction through an ultrathin gas cell whose internal thickness is less than or of the order of the wavelength of this radiation. We consider a situation when the cross section of this beam consists of two coaxial spatially separated regions, with the absorption signal being detected in a comparatively narrow central part of the beam. The paper studies the significant dependence of the linear optical Ramsey resonances, that arise in such an absorption spectrum, on the distance between these regions, as well as on the phase difference between them. In particular, it is shown that if this phase difference is close to pi, then instead of absorption, amplification of the central part of the incident beam can occur. The Ramsey resonances under consideration are most clearly manifested when the internal thickness of the gas cell is equal to a small halfinteger number of wavelengths of the resonant radiation. However, these resonances do not arise if this thickness is equal to an integer number of such waves. The established Ramsey resonances, under certain conditions, can find application in ultrahigh resolution atomic (molecular) spectroscopy, as well as effective references in compact optical frequency standards.