Spin-Exchange Shift and Narrowing of Magnetic Resonance Lines in Optically Pumped Alkali Vapors

Abstract

We observe very narrow (\ensuremath{\sim}200 Hz) magnetic resonance lines in alkali vapors with atomic densities much greater than usual and with cell dimensions much smaller than usual. The Zeeman resonance frequency is shifted downward by a large factor, but the spin-exchange broadening vanishes in the high-density limit. This new regime affords important new possibilities for investigating basic interactions in dense alkali vapors, and it also opens the way to miniaturized optically pumped devices.