Spin selection in single-frequency two-photon excitation of alkali-metal atoms

Abstract

The authors develop a theoretical framework for spin selection in single-frequency, two-photon excitation of alkali-metal atoms, and show the polarization dependence of the two-photon transition rate using a gas of rubidium atoms under excitation by paraxial laser beams in a vapor cell or by evanescent fields near an optical nanofiber.