Resonance absorption filtering system for an optically pumped gas cell

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION: A FILTER GAS CELL HAVING WALLS TRANSPARENT TO PRESELECTED WAVELENGTHS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION ENERGY; A RESONANT MEDIUM COMPRISING RUBIDIUM 87 ATOMS IN THE GASEOUS STATE CONAINED WITHIN SAID FILTER GAS CELL AT A PRESSURE OF APPROXIMATELY 10-6 MILLIMETERS OF MERCURY ABSOLUTE; UNIDIRECTIONAL MAGNETIC FIELD GENERATING MEANS FOR GENERATING A WEAK UNIDIRECTIONAL MAGNETIC FIELD IN A FIRST DIRECTION IN REGIONS CONTAINING SAID RESONANT MEDIUM TO INDUCE ZEEMAN SPLITTING OF SAID ATOMS; FILTER PUMPING LAMP MEANS INCLUDING ATOMS OF RUBIDIUM 87 FOR EMITTING A BEAM OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION CONTAINING ENERGY IN WAVELENGTHS CORRESPONDING TO THE EMISSION SPECTRA OF SAID RUBIDIUM 87 AND INCLUDING WAVELENGTHS NECESSARY TO ALIGN THE MAGNETIC MOMENTS OF SAID RESONANT MEDIUM; LEFT CIRCULAR POLARIZER MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID FILTER PUMPING LAMP MEANS AND SAID RESONANT MEDIUM FOR LEFT CIRCULARLY POLARIZING SAID BEAM OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; A D1 FILTER MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID LEFT CIRCULAR POLARIZER MEANS AND SAID RESONANT MEDIUM FOR TRANSMITTING SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY SAID NECESSARY WAVELENGTHS OF SAID BEAM OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; A FIRST REFLECTOR MEANS COUPLED TO SAID FILTER PUMPING LAMP MEANS FOR DIRECTING SAID BEAM OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION ACROSS SAID FILTER GAS CELL IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST DIRECTION TO ALIGN SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID ATOMS OF SAID RESONANT MEDIUM IN THE MF=-2 MAGNETIC SUBSTATE OF THE F=2 LEVEL OF THE S1/2 GROUND STATE; OPTICAL PUMPING LAMP MEANS INCLUDING ATOMS OF RUBIDIUM 87 FOR GENERATING AN OPTICAL PUMPING LIGHT BEAM CONTAINING ENERGY IN WAVELENGTHS CORRESPONDING TO THE EMISSION SPECTRA OF SAID RUBIDIUM 87 INCLUDING PUMPING AND DE-PUMING WAVELENGTHS; AND A SECOND REFLECTOR MEANS COUPLED TO SAID OPTICAL PUMPING LAMP MEANS FOR DIRECTING SAID OPTICAL PUMPING LIGHT BEAM ACROSS SAID FILTER GAS CELL IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST DIRECTION WHERERBY SAID DE-PUMPING WAVELENGTHS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY ABSORBED BY SAID RESONANT MEDIUM AND SAID PUMING WAVELENGTHS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSMITTED THERETHROUGH.