Fig. 5

Compatibility of Au NP coating with conventional polymer coatings. The Au NP coating is compatible with the anti-relaxation properties of PDMS that are key for quantum optical applications. The increased absorption of Rb was recorded for all four vapor cells when illuminated with a green laser pulse at 532 nm, at 17°. The uncoated reference cell (in black) shows no increase in Rb absorption. The Au NP only coated cell (in red) shows the largest increase in Rb absorption, and it quickly returns to the initial absorption depth after the desorbing light pulse. The PDMS only coated cell (in blue) undergoes a small increase in absorption during the desorbing light pulse, which slowly decreases, afterwards. By comparison, the cell coated with both PDMS and Au NPs (in green) demonstrates faster and more than two-fold increase in absorption