In-Situ Relaxation Rate Measurement in Magnetic Modulated Atomic Magnetometers

Traditional practice of suppressing low-frequency noise in atomic magnetometers is mainly through the application of magnetic field modulation, while magnetic fields of this kind introduce extra transverse relaxation, which results in a decrease of sensitivity. In this study, a novel method of measuring relaxation rate induced by spin-destruction, wall collisions and modulation magnetic fields is proposed. The optical pumping model is studied both in optical-thin and optical-thick vapor cell through the analysis of total relaxation, thus the optical pumping rate can be separated from total relaxation by analyzing the optical depth. Furthermore, based on the analysis of optical pumping rate and relaxation rate, the polarization of the electron ensemble was evaluated. A compact magnetometer with single-beam configuration is developed for the proof of concept, and the experimental results show good agreements with theoretical calculation. Our method provides a simple and feasible approach to in-situ measurement of transverse relaxation rate and optical pumping rate with physical structure of the device untouched, which is especially advantageous for designing and optimizing compact atomic magnetometers.