Liquid crystal polarimetry for metastability exchange optical pumping of [superscript 3]He
We detail the design and operation of a compact, discharge light polarimeter for metastability exchange optical pumping of [superscript 3]He gas near 1 torr under a low magnetic field. The nuclear polarization of [superscript 3]He can be discerned from its electron polarization, measured via the cir...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2017
|
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106931 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2710-4646 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3715-923X https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0031-1963 |
| Summary: | We detail the design and operation of a compact, discharge light polarimeter for metastability exchange optical pumping of [superscript 3]He gas near 1 torr under a low magnetic field. The nuclear polarization of [superscript 3]He can be discerned from its electron polarization, measured via the circular polarization of 668 nm discharge light from an RF excitation. This apparatus measures the circular polarization of this very dim discharge light using a nematic liquid crystal wave retarder (LCR) and a high-gain, transimpedance amplified Si photodiode. We outline corrections required in such a measurement and discuss contributions to its systematic error. |
|---|