Atomic-like spin noise in solid-state demonstrated with manganese in cadmium telluride

Raman scattering model of the spin noise

The mechanism of formation of the polarimetric signal observed in the spin noise spectroscopy (SNS) is analyzed from the viewpoint of the light scattering theory. A rigorous calculation of the polarimetric signal (Faraday rotation or ellipticity) recorded in the SNS is presented in the approximation of single scattering. We show that it is most correctly to consider this noise as a result of scattering of the probe light beam by fluctuating susceptibility of the medium. Fluctuations of the gyrotropic (antisymmetric) part of the susceptibility tensor lead to appearance of the typical for the SNS Faraday rotation noise at the Larmor frequency. At the same time, fluctuations of linear anisotropy of the medium (symmetric part of the susceptibility tensor) give rise to the ellipticity noise of the probe beam spectrally localized at the double Larmor frequency. The results of the theoretical analysis well agree with the experimental data on the ellipticity noise in cesium vapor.

Quantum limited heterodyne detection of spin noise

Spin noise spectroscopy is a powerful technique for studying spin relaxation in semiconductors. In this article, we propose an extension of this technique based on optical heterodyne detection of spin noise, which provides several key advantages compared to conventional spin noise spectroscopy: detection of high frequency spin noise not limited by detector bandwidth or sampling rates of digitizers, quantum limited sensitivity even in case of very weak probe power, and possible amplification of the spin noise signal. Heterodyne detection of spin noise is demonstrated on insulating n-doped GaAs. From measurements of spin noise spectra up to 0.4 Tesla, we determined the distribution of g-factors, Δg/g = 0.49%.

Spin noise explores local magnetic fields in a semiconductor

Rapid development of spin noise spectroscopy of the last decade has led to a number of remarkable achievements in the fields of both magnetic resonance and optical spectroscopy. In this report, we demonstrate a new - magnetometric - potential of the spin noise spectroscopy and use it to study magnetic fields acting upon electron spin-system of an n-GaAs layer in a high-Q microcavity probed by elliptically polarized light. Along with the external magnetic field, applied to the sample, the spin noise spectrum revealed the Overhauser field created by optically oriented nuclei and an additional, previously unobserved, field arising in the presence of circularly polarized light. This "optical field" is directed along the light propagation axis, with its sign determined by sign of the light helicity. We show that this field results from the optical Stark effect in the field of the elliptically polarized light. This conclusion is supported by theoretical estimates.