Restoring narrow linewidth to a gradient-broadened magnetic resonance by inhomogeneous dressing

We study the possibility of counteracting the line broadening of atomic magnetic resonances due to inhomogeneities of the static magnetic field by means of spatially dependent magnetic dressing, driven by an alternating field that oscillates much faster than the Larmor precession frequency. We demonstrate that an intrinsic resonance linewidth of 25 Hz that has been broadened up to hundreds of hertz by a magnetic field gradient can be recovered by the application of an appropriate inhomogeneous dressing field. The findings of our experiments may have immediate and important implications, because they enable the use of atomic magnetometers as robust, high-sensitivity sensors to detect in situ the signal from ultralow-field NMR-imaging setups.