Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, November, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-171)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, November, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 163-171)

This thesis was created to design instruction papers for the physical experiments, which will be used in the Physical practice of mechanics and thermodynamics in the new premises of the Faculty of Science of the University of the South Bohemia. The work not only documents the theoretical background and approach to measurement, but also describes how these individual experiment sets were prepared and what the problems (and solutions) for each task were.

A Zenith-386 workstation was outfitted with a DICRES-54.8 paralell port board to facilitate I/C between a large Summagrid x-y coordinate digital measurement pad that has a resolution of 10 microns. Film views of high energy particle collisions can be projected onto this pad for measurement. Voice prompts via a Votrax speech synthesis system are sent at critical points during the algorithm from the Z-386 through other ports of the DICRES board. Progress in measurement is fed into the Z-386's serial port from an Interstate voice recognition system at other points of the measurement algorithm. The whole measurement process is managed by an assembler language based modular computer program. / Department of Physics and Astronomy

The thesis consists of 80 pages, 6 pages of enclosure and a CD with web pages. Thesis focuses on computer support for the practice of physical mechanics. Its purpose is to document each measurement, which are implemented in practice, to propose some new measurement, to clarify the basic principles for data processing and writing protocols and materials found on the internet, which could help students both in preparation and during the actual measurements in practice.

The subject of this thesis is the study of coherent interaction of light with matter (atoms) to improve the precision measurements and techniques. Special attention is drawn to get the narrow subnatural electromagnetically induced transmission (EIT), electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) and nonlinear magneto-optic rotation (NMOR) caused by alkali atoms contained in a vapor cell. Subnatural polarization rotation introduces by a strong circularly polarized light in the absence of any external magnetic field was also studied. A detailed theoretical treatment, given in this dissertation, allows to associate each of the features of the spectra with a special physical mechanism. Many quantum phenomena related to interferences, coherences, optical pumping etc. experiments are studied using home-built diode lasers. This thesis also describes laser cooling and trapping of rubidium atoms using two techniques. Deflection of cold atoms horizontally from MOT using pushing beams are discussed in close consideration for the improvements in the precision measurements. This thesis is organized as follows. In Chapter 1, an introduction to the importance of sub-natural narrow resonance and simplified technique in the precision measurement will be discussed. In Chapter 2, an introduction to EIT, EIA and NMOR resonance are discussed. This chapter will provide a basic theoretical background of atom-field interactions, especially for Λ-type and N -type systems and its steady state solution using density matrix analysis and experimental tools. The most important notion of laser cooling of atoms, ions or molecule i.e., exchange of momentum between light and atoms combining with the Doppler effect will be discussed. In Chapter 3, the observation of subnatural EIT and subnatural EIA in closed and open degenerate two-level system using room temperature vapor cell filled with Rb will be presented. Physical mechanisms that contribute to EIT and EIA, and the contrast of our results from the coherent population trapping (CPT)–type resonances are discussed in detail in appendix A.2 according to our experimental results. In Chapter 4, the narrowing of subnatural EIT and subnatural EIA linewidth in closed and open systems again in degenerate two level transition, using the “Laguerre-Gaussian” control beam instead of generally studied Gaussian beam, will be discussed in detail. In Chapter 5, the conversion between subnatural EIT to subnatural EIA in a degenerate Λ system will be discussed. The physical mechanism created by the introduction of a coherent counter propagating control laser to the co-propagating probe and the control laser are studied. The effect of polarization and axial velocity Doppler averaging will also be studied. In Chapter 6, we will discuss the sensitive technique for precise measurement of small magnetic fields using the NMOR, by chopping the resonant laser beam. We will study the sensitivity and the potential application of this technique in the measurement of an atomic electric-dipole moment. In Chapter 7, we will be studying about the induced optical rotation by a circularly polarized control laser on the linearly polarized probe laser. The effect of the intensity of the control laser beam on the higher order optical rotation will also be studied. In Chapter 8, we will be studying about the cooling and trapping of 87Rb in magneto-optic trap. We will be studying two techniques of trapping of atoms in MOT. The cold cloud of atoms from the MOT are deflected horizontally by using different configuration of pushing beam are studied. A brief summary and outlook of my thesis work will be discussed at Chapter 9.