Towards a simple and performing CPT based magnetometer: optimization of experimental paramaters

A simple set-up for observation of CPT effect at single hyperfine ground state excitation has been examined for application in measurements of non-vanishing magnetic fields. The CPT is prepared using low-frequency modulated (in the kHz range) diode laser. Magnetic field measurements down to 500 pT sensitivity and reproducibility were obtained for integration time of 30 ms. One of the important characteristics of the proposed methodology is a proper Cs excitation in order to overcome effectively the hyperfine optical pumping effect. This is possible working in narrow ranges of laser beam intensity, buffer gas pressures and Cs vapor densities. The best conditions have been experimentally determined and discussed.