Experimental setup to fabricate Rb–Xe gas cells for atom spin gyroscopes

• Published in: AIP advances Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 015025 - 015025-9
• Main Authors: Yim, S. H., Lee, D.-Y., Lee, S., Kim, M. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melville American Institute of Physics 01.01.2022; AIP Publishing LLC
• Subjects: Gyroscopes; NMR spectroscopy; Outgassing; Pressure ratio; Random walk; Rubidium; Turbine pumps; Vacuum chambers; Xenon 129
• ISSN: 2158-3226; 2158-3226
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0069211

An experimental setup to fabricate atomic vapor cells for atom spin gyroscope application, containing 87Rb, 129Xe, 131Xe, N2, and H2, is described. The setup comprises a high-vacuum chamber, an 87Rb ampule, a glass cell, gas lines, and a turbopump. First, the glass cell is baked for a week at 450 °C to reduce outgassing from the inner walls of the glass cell. Next, rubidium atoms are evaporated into the cubic glass cell. Then, the cubic glass cell is cooled to 2 °C to increase the amount of 87Rb in the cubic glass cell while the vacuum chamber is heated to 100 °C. 6 Torr of 129Xe, 48 Torr of 131Xe, 140 Torr of N2, and 24 Torr of H2 are injected into the cubic glass cell. The sealing method employs pinch-off glass welding. The transverse spin relaxation times of 129Xe and 131Xe at a magnetic field of 6.2 µT applied to the quantization axis are measured to be 8.1 and 16.5 s, respectively, at a cell temperature of 96 °C using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The pressure ratio between 129Xe and 131Xe is determined by comparing the output signals from our atom spin gyroscope. The signal-to-noise ratios are 2500 for 129Xe and 3333 for 131Xe, respectively, and the expected angular random walk of the atom spin gyroscope is 0.062°/h1/2 with a 1-Hz repetition rate.