23 October 2024 : PIB Summary For UPSC

1. Towards more precise atomic clocks useful for navigation, Telecommunication & Aviation

(Source – https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=2067034&reg=3&lang=1 )

Context

Researchers at the Raman Research Institute have improved atomic clocks and magnetometers using Rydberg atoms to achieve higher precision in measuring magnetic fields. Their findings offer promising applications in fields like geophysics, brain activity detection, and space exploration.

About The Research:

• Rydberg atoms are highly excited atoms, and their response is measured using Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT), which makes an opaque medium transparent.
• The team also leveraged the Doppler effect to enhance the response to magnetic fields by ten times, using thermal rubidium atoms at room temperature.
• Doppler effect occurs when atoms move towards or away from the laser, causing a shift in frequency, which the researchers used to their advantage for more precise measurements.
• This method does not require cooling of atoms or ultra-high vacuum conditions, making it simpler and more practical for applications.
• The enhanced quantum magnetometry can be used in fields like geophysics, brain activity detection, space exploration, and archaeology.
• The work demonstrates the effectiveness of room-temperature setups for detecting weak magnetic fields and has been published in the New Journal of Physics.