Patent ID: 9091590
Filing Date: 2015-07-28
Classification: G01J,G01N

Abstract:
1. An optical spectrometer, acting upon probe light, comprising: (a) an absorbing substance with one or more absorption lines; (b) a longitudinal magnetic field permeating the absorbing substance; (c) a polarizing beam splitter; wherein absorption of the absorbing substance is associated with a transition from a ground state to an excited state of the absorbing substance; wherein the absorbing substance and the longitudinal magnetic field combine to form a birefringent medium for the probe light; wherein the probe light propagates through the birefringent medium and then is transmitted through the polarizing beam splitter; wherein the birefringent medium changes the polarization of the probe light an amount that is dependent upon probe light frequency; wherein the polarizing beam splitter splits the probe light into a first linear polarization component and a second linear polarization component; wherein the angular orientation of the polarizing beam splitter relative to the probe light polarization axis is such that the first linear polarization component emerging from the polarizing beam splitter is not an orthogonal component relative to the original polarization orientation of the probe light; wherein the angular orientation of the polarizing beam splitter relative to the original probe light polarization axis is such that the second linear polarization component emerging from the polarizing beam splitter is not an orthogonal component relative to the original polarization orientation of the probe light; and probe light frequency is determined from the relative magnitude of the first linear polarization component to the second linear polarization component; wherein probe light absorption occurs within the frequency region over which the optical spectrometer operates.