High-transmission excited-state Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filter edge filter based on a Halbach cylinder magnetic-field configuration.

We report on the realization of an excited-state Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filter (ESFADOF) edge filter based on the 5P(3/2)→8D(5/2) transition in rubidium. A maximum transmission of 81% has been achieved. This high transmission is only possible by utilizing a special configuration of magnetic fields taken from accelerator physics to provide a strong homogeneous magnetic field of approximately 6000 G across the vapor cell. The two resulting steep transmission edges are separated by more than 13 GHz, enabling its application in remote sensing.