铷原子饱和吸收光谱与偏振光谱对780nm半导体激光器稳频的比较

将激光频率锁定于合适的参考频率,可以有效地抑制激光器的频率起伏。本文采用铷原子D2线超精细跃迁线的饱和吸收光谱和偏振光谱分别获得鉴频曲线,通过电子伺服系统将频率校正信号负反馈到780 nm光栅外腔反馈半导体激光器外腔的压电陶瓷上的方法对激光器进行稳频。介绍了两种方法的基本原理和实验方案。与激光器自由运转300s时激光器典型的频率起伏约6.6 MHz相比,采用饱和吸收光谱和偏振光谱进行稳频,运转300 s时激光器典型的残余频率起伏分别约为1.5 MHz和0.6 MHz。分析表明,饱和吸收光谱稳频采用了相敏检波技术,需要对激光器进行频率调制,带来了额外的频率噪声,而偏振光谱稳频则是一种完全无频率调制的稳频方案。     

采用铯原子偏振光谱对894.6nm外腔式半导体激光器稳频的实验研究

通过铯原子D_1线超精细跃迁能级的偏振光谱获得鉴频曲线,利用电子伺服系统将鉴频曲线反馈到894.6nm外腔式半导体激光器的压电陶瓷上进行锁定。由于偏振光谱技术不需要对激光器进行调制,因此不会带来额外的噪声。激光器自由运转400s内频率起伏为2.35 MHz,采用偏振光谱锁定激光器后400s内频率起伏为0.95 MHz,有效抑制了激光器的频率起伏。     

采用偏振光谱对外腔半导体激光器稳频时反馈环路带宽的影响

在采用磁光阱实现单个铯原子俘获的实验中, 运用无调制偏振光谱方法将光栅外腔半导体激光器(提供冷却/俘获光)的频率锁定在铯原子6S1/2 F=4→6P3/2 F′=5的超精细跃迁线上.采用偏振光谱技术得到的类色散曲线作为鉴频信号, 并同时对光栅外腔半导体激光器的电流调制端口和光栅外腔的压电陶瓷电压调制端口进行反馈, 以拓展反馈环路的带宽, 实现激光器的频率锁定.与通常的饱和吸收光谱稳频技术相比, 激光频率锁定之后的频率稳定度得到了明显改善.在取样时间τ=300 s时, 阿仑方差σy(τ)=4.6×10-12.     

电光晶体调谐的外腔反馈半导体激光器

报道一种用电光晶体实现快速调谐和凋制激光频率的方法.在Littrow型外腔反馈半导体激光中插入LiNbO3晶体,利用LiNbO3晶体的电光效应,通过改变晶体电压来调节激光器的有效腔长,可以对激光频率进行快速的调谐和调制.采用该方法,自制外腔反馈半导体激光器的调谐频率可达到2 kHz,它的调谐范围为350 MHz,激光频率调谐系数约为1.06 MHz/V,用饱和吸收光谱观测频率调谐的效果.快速激光频率调制可以应用在稳频技术上,将外腔反馈半导体激光器调制在5～100 kHz频率下,均获得了87Rb原子D2线的饱和吸收光谱的色散信号,并实现了激光频率在饱和吸收峰上的长期稳定.     

声光偏频亚多普勒光谱无调制激光频率锁定

将激光器锁定到合适的参考频率标准上 ,可以有效地改善激光器的频率稳定性。采用两个声光调制器(AOM) ,使铯原子D2 线饱和吸收光谱分别发生Ω±Δ绝对频移 ;通过改变射频压控振荡器 (RFVCO)的Vf 端口直流电压调节相对频移间隔Δ ,当相对频率间隔选择合适时两信号相减得到了类色散型鉴频曲线。实验中实现了85 2nm光栅外腔半导体激光器相对于铯原子D2 线6S1/2 F =4 6P3 /2 F′ =5超精细跃迁线 (中心频率ν0 )的无调制偏频锁定 (锁定后中心频率ν0 +Ω ,偏频量为Ω)。由闭环锁定后的误差信号估计 ,5 0s内典型的频率起伏小于± 2 70kHz ,较相同时间段内激光器自由运转时的频率起伏 14MHz有显著的改善。该方法可避免对激光器直接进行频率调制的常规饱和吸收锁频方案所引入的额外频率噪声和强度噪声。     

采用铷原子射频频率调制光谱与调制转移光谱对1560nm激光经波导倍频至780nm进行稳频的比较

采用射频频率调制光谱(RF-FMS)和调制转移光谱(MTS)将1560nm分布反馈激光器经MgO:PPLN波导高效倍频后锁定于87 Rb原子D2线超精细跃迁。比较了两种方法的原理、谱线以及锁频结果。激光器自由运转30min的典型频率起伏为8~10MHz,采用RF-FMS和MTS锁频30min的频率起伏均方根分别为±135kHz和±85kHz,这主要是由于后者的信噪比高,谱线完全无背景。采用MTS方案,搭建了一套结构紧凑、性能稳定的1.5μm光纤通信波段激光稳频系统。     

激光二极管相对于铯饱和吸收D2线的无调制扰动三次谐波锁频

将频率调制加在声光调制器上 ,用三次谐波探测法获得了铯原子D2 线的三阶微分饱和光谱。采用这种激光器无调制扰动方案结合三次谐波锁频技术 ,实现了 85 2nm的分布布拉格反射器半导体激光器相对于 6S1/2 F =4- 6P3 /2 F′ =5超精细跃线的频率锁定。由锁定后的频率误差信号估算 ,10s内激光频率起伏小于± 35 0kHz ,相对频率稳定度约 1× 10 -9。这种无调制扰动方案可以消除一般的饱和吸收稳频方法中由于直接对激光器进行频率调制而带来的额外频率噪声 ;三次谐波锁频技术的应用 ,还可有效地降低铯原子饱和吸收谱中剩余多普勒背景的影响     

基于DSP技术的外腔半导体激光器自动稳频系统

实现了一种基于数字信号处理(DSP)技术的外腔半导体激光器的自动稳频装置。该自动稳频装置以铷原子的饱和吸收谱线作为频率参考,采用调制解调技术得到稳频所需的鉴频信号。激光自动稳频装置通过模数转换器以固定的速率不间断地采集饱和吸收信号和鉴频信号,由DSP芯片对采集到的数字信号进行处理和分析。DSP芯片利用通用输入输出端口控制调制信号的开关状态,通过数模转换器控制激光频率扫描以及输出数字反馈。利用所述的激光稳频技术不仅实现了外腔半导体激光器自动稳频,而且能够实时评估激光器的锁定情况,在激光器失锁后及时重新锁定,提高了激光器的长期运行能力。最后,将使用自动稳频技术的激光器应用于空间冷原子钟原理样机地面实验中,该稳频激光可以满足相关科学实验的需求。     

铷原子双共振激发态光抽运光谱及其在1.5μm半导体激光器稳频中的应用

本文介绍分别采用双共振光抽运(DROP)和光学双共振(OODR)光谱技术获得铷原子激发态5P_3/2-4D_3/2 (4D_5/2)之间的超精细跃迁光谱.与传统的OODR光谱相比,DROP光谱在信噪比、线宽等方面具有明显的优势.当1 529 nm光栅外腔半导体激光器的频率采用DROP光谱锁定于～87Rb原子的5P_3/2(F'=3) -4D_3/2(F"=3)超精细跃迁线时,300 s内典型的残余频率起伏为～0.65 MHz;明显优于采用OODR光谱锁频的结果(300 s内典型的残余频率起伏为～1.8 MHz).     

1560nm激光经PPLN和PPKTP晶体准相位匹配倍频研究

将1560nm光栅反馈复合腔半导体激光器产生的连续激光注入掺铒光纤放大器,放大至约5 W,分别采用周期极化铌酸锂(PPLN)和周期极化磷酸氧钛钾(PPKTP)晶体单次穿过进行准相位匹配倍频,对应获得约336mW和210mW的780nm激光输出,倍频效率约为7%和4.4%。通过监视倍频光纵模,显示其具有良好的单频输出特性。此外,还扫描测得了Rb原子D2线的吸收光谱,表明780nm激光的频率调谐范围大于10GHz。采用无调制偏振光谱技术将1560nm半导体激光器频率锁定至87 Rb 5S1/2(Fg=2)-5P3/2(Fe=3)超精细跃迁线上。相对于自由运转450s内1560nm激光频率起伏约4MHz,锁定后可将残余频率起伏压低至1.5MHz左右。     

Modulation-free frequency stabilization of external-cavity diode laser based on a phase-difference biased Sagnac interferometer

We propose a modulation-free technique for frequency stabilization of an external-cavity diode laser (ECDL) by using a phase-difference biased Sagnac interferometer to produce dispersion spectroscopic error signals. A half-wave plate and a total internal reflection prism are inserted into the loop to provide a phase-difference bias between the clockwise and counterclockwise beams with perpendicular polarizations, instead of the previous method with misaligned optical paths. In the experiments, the frequency of the Littman-Metcalf configuration ECDL is locked at the transition of the Rb atomic vapor, and the frequency fluctuation is suppressed from 8 to less than 0.5 MHz peak to peak. It is shown that this scheme is simple, robust, low cost, and it shows promise for use in a variety of related applications.     

Frequency-stabilized high-power violet laser diode with an ytterbium hollow-cathode lamp

We have demonstrated in an ytterbium laser cooling and trapping experiment a high-power violet extendedcavity diode laser (ECDL) stabilized to the Yb resonant transition at 398.9 nm in an Yb hollow-cathode lamp. A frequency-dispersion signal, which we obtained by applying a modulation-free dichroic-atomic-vapor laser lock technique, allowed us to stabilize the violet ECDL at a frequency stability below 1 MHz at 1-s average time and a useful output power of 15 mW.     

Wide and fast-frequency tuning for a stabilized diode laser

External-cavity diode laser (ECDL) has important applications in many fundamental and applied researches. Here we report a method to fast and widely tune the frequency of a stabilized ECDL. The beat frequency between the ECDL and a frequency-locked reference laser is identified by the voltage-controlled oscillator contained in a phase detector, whose output voltage is subtracted from the flexibly controlled PC signal to generate an error signal for stabilizing the ECDL. The output frequency of the stabilized ECDL can be shifted at a short characteristic time of ~ 150 μs within a range of ~ 620 MHz. The wide and fast-frequency tuning achieved by our method is compared with other previous works. We demonstrated the performance of our method by the efficient sub-Doppler cooling of Cs atoms with the temperature as low as 6 μK.     

A 1550-nm linearly tunable CW single-mode external cavity diode laser based on a single-cavity all-dielectric thin-film Fabry–Pérot filter

A 1550-nm linearly tunable CW single-mode external cavity diode laser (ECDL) based on a single-cavity all-dielectric thin-film Fabry–Pérot filter (s-AFPF) is proposed and realized in this paper. Its internal optical components as well as their operation mechanisms are introduced first, and then its longitudinal mode output characteristic is theoretically analyzed. Afterwards, we set up the experimental platform for the output characteristic measurement of this tunable ECDL; under different experimental conditions, we execute accurate and real-time measurements for the output central wavelength, output optical power, output longitudinal mode distribution, and the line-width of the tunable ECDL in its tuning process. By summing up the optimal experimental condition from the measured data, we obtain the optimal tunable relevant parameters ECDL of the tunable ECDL has a linear mode-hop-free wavelength tuning region of 1547.203 nm-1552.426 nm, a stable output optical power in the range of 40 μW-50 μW, and a stable output longitudinal mode distribution of a single longitudinal mode with a line-width in the range of 100 MHz-150 MHz. This tunable ECDL can be used in environmental gas monitoring, atomic and molecular laser spectroscopy research, precise measurements, and so on.     

激光线宽对单次通过PPMgO:LN晶体倍频效率的影响

通过单次穿过PPMgO:LN晶体产生了2.06 W的780 nm可调谐的连续倍频光. 采用1560 nm的分布反馈式(DFB)半导体激光器、光栅外腔半导体激光器(ECDL)和分布反馈式掺铒光纤激光器(DFB-EDFL)分别作为掺铒光纤放大器(EDFA)的注入光源, 所用的EDFA具有保持窄线宽的功能, 因此可以忽略它对基波线宽的展宽. 研究了激光线宽对单次通过PPMgO:LN 晶体的倍频效率的影响. 控制三台激光器各自注入EDFA的功率一致, 同时也保持EDFA 的输出功率. 在基波功率为12.42 W 时, 使用DFB半导体激光器注入EDFA时得到了1.36 W的780 nm倍频光输出, 转换效率为11.0%; 使用ECDL作为种子源时得到了1.78 W 的780 nm倍频光输出, 转换效率为14.3%; 使用DFB-EDFL作为种子源时得到了2.06 W的780 nm倍频光输出, 转换效率为16.6%. 测得三台种子激光器的线宽分别为1.2 MHz (DFB), 200 kHz (ECDL)和600 Hz (DFB-EDFL). 线宽越窄, 倍频效率越高, 实验结果与理论分析一致.     

Stable Narrow Linewidth 689nm Diode Laser for the Second Stage Cooling and Trapping of Strontium Atoms

We report stable narrow linewidth laser systems based on self-developed Littman configuration external cavity diode lasers （ECDLs）. The frequency of the ECDL is stabilized to a high fineness ultralow-expansion glass reference cavity with the Pound-Drever-Hall technique. By heterodyne beating of two identical systems, we conclude that the linewidth 4.3× 10^-14 at an averaging measurement time. of each ECDL is reduced to lower than 150 Hz and its frequency stability reaches time of 1 s, the averaged long-term frequency drift is less than 0.2 Hz/s over 30 h