Dwell time measurement of wall collisions of spin polarized Rb atoms on antirelaxation coatings

Abstract

Methods commonly used in surface science have difficulties in studying surface interaction between spin polarized atoms and anti-relaxation coatings in sealed atomic vapour cells. The average dwell time of atom-wall collisions can provide important information for understanding the atom surface interaction. Here we present a simple method for directly measuring the average dwell time of spin polarized rubidium atoms on coated glass surfaces. The method relies on evanescent-wave induced light shift of the Zeeman resonance of Rb atomic spins, and does not depend on the microscopic details of surface interactions. This is the only reliable method currently available for measuring surface dwell time of spin polarized atoms sealed in vapor cells.