Electrodeless-discharge-vapor-lamp-based Faraday anomalous-dispersion optical filter.

We report an excited-state Faraday anomalous-dispersion optical filter operating on the rubidium 5P(3/2)-5D(5/2) transition (775.9 nm in vacuum) without the use of a pump laser. An electrodeless discharge vapor lamp is employed to replace the Rb vapor cell in a traditional Faraday anomalous-dispersion optical filter system. Atoms can be excited by power rather than a complex frequency-locked pump laser. A proof-of-concept experimental demonstration with a maximum transmission of 1.9% and a filter bandwidth of 650 MHz is presented.