Faraday-rotation fluctuation spectroscopy with static and oscillating magnetic fields

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By Faraday-rotation fluctuation spectroscopy one measures the spin noise via Faraday-induced fluctuations of the polarization plane of a laser transmitting the sample. In the fist part of this paper, we present a theoretical model of recent experiments on alkali gas vapors and semiconductors, done in the presence of a static magnetic field. In a static field, the spin noise shows a resonance line, revealing the Larmor frequency and the spin coherence time T₂ of the electrons. Second, we discuss the possibility to use an oscillating magnetic field in the Faraday setup. With an oscillating field applied, one can observe multi-photon absorption processes in the spin noise. Furthermore an oscillating field could also help to avoid line broadening due to structural or chemical inhomogeneities in the sample, and thereby increase the precision of the spin-coherence time measurement.