Pressure Broadening in an Alkali-Metal Vapor in the Presence of a High Pressure Buffer Gas

The following thesis focuses on finding the linewidth for the pressure broadening curve of rubidium and using that to quantify the density of nitrogen or helium-3 that is in a sealed glass cell. The pressure broadening curve was found by using a laser to take measurements near the optical transitions of rubidium. These measurements are taken with the cell under different conditions (such as temperature and laser power) in order to find the actual linewidth of the alkali. This linewidth can then be used to quantify the helium density in the cell. This is done with the goal of decreasing experimental uncertainty when using helium-3 in experiments for nuclear physics research.