Quantum trajectories in spin-exchange collisions reveal the nature of spin-noise correlations in multispecies alkali-metal vapors

Abstract

Spin-exchange collisions in alkali-metal vapors underlie several fundamental and applied investigations such as nuclear structure studies and tests of fundamental symmetries, ultrasensitive atomic magnetometers, magnetic resonance, and biomagnetic imaging. Spin-exchange collisions cause a loss of spin coherence and concomitantly produce spin noise, both phenomena being central to quantum metrology. We develop here the quantum-trajectory picture of spin-exchange collisions, consistent with their long-standing ensemble description using density matrices. We then use quantum trajectories to reveal the nature of spin-noise correlations that spontaneously build up in multispecies atomic vapors, frequently utilized in the most sensitive spin measurements.