Hanle effect in Rydberg atoms of sodium

摘要

Microwave Hanle effect has been studied in sodium Rydberg atoms for the first time. Spontaneous emission of the microwave transition 37P_(3/2) → 37S_(1/2) at 70.166 GHz was replaced by an induced transition from a pulsed microwave source. Good agreement with the theoretical calculations has been found. The widths and shapes of observed resonances were defined by the spectral widths of the pulsed microwave radiation and parameters of laser excitation of the initial 37 P_(3/2) state. The interference occurred in the scheme of transitions similar to the Mach-Zehnder optical interferometer.