Compact, robust, and spectrally pure diode-laser system with a filtered output and a tunable copy for absolute referencing

by E. Kirilov, M. J. Mark, M. Segl, H.-C. Nägerl
Abstract:
We report on a design of a compact laser system composed of an extended-cavity diode laser with high passive stability and a pre-filter Fabry–Perot cavity. The laser is frequency-stabilized relative to the cavity using a serrodyne technique with a correction bandwidth of ≥6 MHz and a dynamic range of ≥700 MHz. The free-running laser system has a power spectral density (PSD) ≤100 Hz2/Hz centered mainly in the acoustic frequency range. A highly tunable, 0.5–1.3 GHz copy of the spectrally pure output beam is provided, which can be used for further stabilization of the laser system to an ultra-stable reference. We demonstrate a simple one-channel lock to such a reference that brings down the PSD to the sub-Hz level. The tuning, frequency stabilization, and sideband imprinting are achieved by a minimum number of key elements comprising a fibered electro-optic modulator, acousto-optic modulator, and a nonlinear transmission line. The system is easy to operate, scalable, and highly applicable to atomic/molecular experiments demanding high spectral purity, long-term stability, and robustness.
Reference:
Compact, robust, and spectrally pure diode-laser system with a filtered output and a tunable copy for absolute referencing,
E. Kirilov, M. J. Mark, M. Segl, H.-C. Nägerl,
Applied Physics B, 119, 233-240, 2015.
Bibtex Entry:
@Article{Kirilov2015,
author={Kirilov, E. and Mark, M. J. and Segl, M. and N{"a}gerl, H.-C.},
title={Compact, robust, and spectrally pure diode-laser system with a filtered output and a tunable copy for absolute referencing},
journal={Applied Physics B},
year={2015},
month={May},
day={01},
volume={119},
number={2},
pages={233-240},
abstract={We report on a design of a compact laser system composed of an extended-cavity diode laser with high passive stability and a pre-filter Fabry--Perot cavity. The laser is frequency-stabilized relative to the cavity using a serrodyne technique with a correction bandwidth of ≥6 MHz and a dynamic range of ≥700 MHz. The free-running laser system has a power spectral density (PSD) ≤100 Hz2/Hz centered mainly in the acoustic frequency range. A highly tunable, 0.5--1.3 GHz copy of the spectrally pure output beam is provided, which can be used for further stabilization of the laser system to an ultra-stable reference. We demonstrate a simple one-channel lock to such a reference that brings down the PSD to the sub-Hz level. The tuning, frequency stabilization, and sideband imprinting are achieved by a minimum number of key elements comprising a fibered electro-optic modulator, acousto-optic modulator, and a nonlinear transmission line. The system is easy to operate, scalable, and highly applicable to atomic/molecular experiments demanding high spectral purity, long-term stability, and robustness.},
issn={1432-0649},
doi={10.1007/s00340-015-6049-5},
  arxiv = {https://arxiv.org/abs/1412.1116},
url={https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-015-6049-5}
}