AMO Physics in a Beaker

The fundamental sensitivity limit of a vapor cell magnetometer is set by the number of spins participating in the measurement, but there is a cap to the number density that gas phase systems can reach before spin-exchange collisions and radiation trapping become a problem. As an extrapolation of high density buffer gas, liquid systems can potentially take advantage of the extremely high number density of spins achievable in solution. Here we present a Yb³⁺ based molecule ((thiolfan)YbCl)) that has a well-protected optical transition in the SWIR even when dissolved in solutions at room temperature. We characterize the magnetic sensitivity of the transition via Zeeman splitting, demonstrating the potential application of dissolved (thiolfan)YbCl for magnetic sensing. We also report our current progress on optically preparing and reading out ground state coherence in this liquid molecular system.