Magnetic-field dependence of Raman coupling in alkali-metal atoms

We calculate the magnetic-field dependence of Rabi rates for two-photon optical Raman processes in alkali-metal atoms. Due to a decoupling of the nuclear and electronic spins, these rates fall with increasing field. At the typical magnetic fields of alkali-metal-atom Feshbach resonances (B similar to 200-1200 G), the Raman rates have the same order of magnitude as their zero-field values, suggesting one can combine Raman-induced gauge fields or spin-orbital coupling with strong Feshbach-induced interactions. The exception is Li-6, where there is a factor-of-7 suppression in the Raman coupling, compared to its already small zero-field value. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.87.042514