Measurement of hyperfine structure in the rm D₁ line of Rb

We report a precise measurement of hyperfine constants in the $\rm{D_1} $ line ($ \rm {5\,P_{1/2}} $ state) of the two stable isotopes of Rb. The motivation for the work is to try and resolve discrepant values that exists in the literature. We use a technique that is different from other methods---one where the laser is not locked to a particular transition but scanned around it. This is advantageous because it overcomes frequency shifts due to servo-loop errors and other sources of noise in the experiment. The values in the two isotopes are: $ A = 120.510(26) $ MHz in $\rm {^{85}Rb}$, and $ A = 408.340(19) $ MHz in $\rm {^{87}Rb}$. These values are at variance with earlier values reported from our lab, but consistent with other published measurements.