Optical-window birefringence is frequently a major obstacle in experiments measuring changes in the polarization state of light traversing a sample under investigation. It can contribute a signal indistinguishable from that due to the sample and complicate the analysis. Here, we explore a method to measure and compensate for the birefringence of an optical window using the reflection from the last optical surface before the sample. We demonstrate that this arrangement can cancel out false signals due to the optical-window birefringence-induced ellipticity drift to about 1%, for the values of total ellipticity less than 0.25 rad. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

The authors demonstrate the detection of magnetic particles carried by water in a continuous flow using an atomic magnetic gradiometer. Studies on three types of magnetic particles are presented: a single cobalt particle (diameter similar to 150 mu m, multidomain), a suspension of superparamagnetic magnetite particles (diameter similar to 1 mu m), and ferromagnetic cobalt nanoparticles (diameter similar to 10 nm). Estimated detection limits are 20 mu m diameter for a single cobalt particle at a water flow rate of 30 ml/min, 5x10(3) magnetite particles at 160 ml/min, and 50 pl for the ferromagnetic fluid of cobalt nanoparticles at 130 ml/min. Possible applications of their method are discussed.

Nonlinear magneto-optical Faraday rotation (NMOR) on the potassium D1 and D2 lines was used to study Zeeman relaxation rates in an antirelaxation paraffin-coated 3-cm-diameter potassium vapor cell. Intrinsic Zeeman relaxation rates of gamma(NMOR)/2 pi=2.0(6) Hz were observed. The relatively small hyperfine intervals in potassium lead to significant differences in NMOR in potassium compared to rubidium and cesium. Using laser optical pumping, widths and frequency shifts were also determined for transitions between ground-state hyperfine sublevels of K-39 atoms contained in the same paraffin-coated cell. The intrinsic hyperfine relaxation rate of gamma(hf)(expt)/2 pi=10.6(7) Hz and a shift of -9.1(2) Hz were observed. These results show that adiabatic relaxation gives only a small contribution to the overall hyperfine relaxation in the case of potassium, and the relaxation is dominated by other mechanisms similar to those observed in previous studies with rubidium.