Linear and nonlinear coherent coupling in a Bell-Bloom magnetometer

Spin-exchange collisions in hot vapors are generally regarded as a decoherence mechanism. In contrast, we show that linear and nonlinear spin-exchange coupling can lead to the generation of atomic coherence in a Bell-Bloom magnetometer. In particular, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that nonlinear spin-exchange coupling, acting in an analogous way to a wave-mixing mechanism, can create additional modes of coherent excitation which inherit the magnetic properties of the natural Larmor coherence. The generated coherences further couple via linear spin-exchange interaction, leading to an increase of the natural coherence lifetime of the system. Notably, the measurements are performed in a low-density caesium vapor and for nonzero magnetic field, outside the standard conditions for collisional coherence transfer. The strategies discussed are important for the development of spin-exchange coupling into a resource for an improved measurement platform based on room-temperature alkali-metal vapors.