Circular and linear magnetic birefringences in xenon at λ = 1064 nm

Abstract

The circular and linear magnetic birefringences corresponding to the Faraday and the Cotton-Mouton effects, respectively, have been measured in xenon at λ = 1064 nm. The experimental setup is based on time dependent magnetic fields and a high finesse Fabry-Pérot cavity. Our value of the Faraday effect is the first measurement at this wavelength. It is compared to theoretical predictions. Our uncertainty of a few percent yields an agreement at better than 1σ with the computational estimate when relativistic effects are taken into account. Concerning the Cotton-Mouton effect, our measurement, the second ever published at λ = 1064 nm, agrees at better than 1σ with theoretical predictions. We also compare our error budget with that established for other experimental published values.