High-contrast coherent population trapping based on crossed polarizers method

A method based on crossed polarizers to observe high-contrast coherent population trapping (CPT) resonance has been developed. Because crossed polarizers have a simple optical system, our method is suitable for chip-scale atomic clocks (CSACs). In CPT, the Faraday rotation in a linearly polarized light field (lin||lin) was calculated using two pairs of Λ-system models; the spectrum of the Faraday rotation is also estimated. After measuring the contrast and linewidth with the crossed-polarizer method, a comparison of the theoretical model and experimental data showed they were in good agreement. Moreover, the experimental results showed that a high contrast (88.4%) and narrow linewidth (1.15 kHz) resonance could be observed using a Cs gas cell and D₁-line verticalcavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).