Diffusion of Cs atoms in Ne buffer gas measured by optical magnetic resonance tomography

Optical magnetic resonance tomography uses optical pumping and the paramagn etic Faraday effect to image spin density distributions in optically thin m edia. In this paper we present an apparatus that allows to measure the dist ribution of spin-polarized Cs atoms, which we applied to study the diffusio n of Cs in Ne buffer gas by time-resolved 2D-mapping of the evolution of an initial inhomogeneous spin distribution. The diffusion constant D-0 for Cs in a Ne buffer gas of 1013 mbar is determined as 0.20(1) cm(2)/s. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America.