Polarized Sodium Nuclei Produced by Laser Optical Pumping with Velocity Changing Collisions

Abstract

Theoretical and experimental studies of nuclear polarization induced by single-mode—laser optical pumping are reported. The nuclear polarization is shown to depend on the product of laser intensity and buffer-gas pressure. In ${}_{}{}^{23}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Na}$ it approaches one at modest laser intensities (∼100 mW/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$) for pressures as small as a few hundred millitorr.