Hanle electromagnetically induced absorption in open transitions of the 87Rb D2 line

The influence of the closed transition on the neighboring and open transitions of the 87Rb D2 line, partially resolved under Doppler broadening, is studied at different ellipticities in the Hanle configuration with longitudinal and transverse magnetic field scans. We show that a sign reversal from an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonance to an electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) resonance occurs with an increase in ellipticity for the transition in a transverse field scan. This transformation is not observed for a longitudinal field scan. These observations are attributed to the higher amplitude of the EIA resonance for the transition in transverse field scans for elliptical polarized light. The EIA character in the Hanle transmission profile of and transitions is enhanced (weakened) when the laser beam frequency is detuned towards (away from) the transition. We show by computation that at higher ellipticities, a transformation from an EIT to an EIA resonance for the transition occurs at low frequency shifts (towards the transition) in a transverse field scan.