Frequency of lamb-dip-stabilized 1.52 μm He-Ne lasers

A ³He-²⁰Ne and a ³He-²²Ne 1.52 m laser were frequency stabilized to the Lamb-dip of their respective gain curve and provided a resettability of 2 MHz. Using these lasers, absolute frequencies for the ²⁰Ne and ²²Ne laser transitions were measured by interferometric frequency comparison with an I₂-stabilized He-Ne laser at 0.633 m. A least-square analysis which accounts for the linear frequency dependence of the laser gas pressure yielded two parameters which can reproduce the measured frequencies within an accuracy of ±1.0·10^–8 at 1.52 m.     

Two kinds of novel birefringent dual-frequency lasers

Two kinds of novel dual-frequency He–Ne lasers are presented and described in this paper based on the birefringent laser frequency splitting technology: the full-inner cavity photoelastic dual-frequency laser and the half-inner cavity photoelastic dual-frequency laser. The frequency difference between the two kinds of dual-frequency laser can be adjusted from tens to hundreds of megahertz through adjusting the mechanical pressure exerted on the photoelastic element. The stability of the frequency differences of the two lasers are 10⁻³ and 10⁻⁵, respectively, after the lasers are turned on for a while.     

The applications of the stark effect to the stabilization of the CO2 laser and the submillimeter laser

Methods based on the Stark effect are described for dither-free frequency stabilization of the optically pumped submm laser. The CO₂ pump laser was stabilized using a Stark Lamb dip signal of the submm lasant in an external Stark cell. An estimated frequency stability (f/f) better than ±1.4×10^–8, for one hour recording, was obtained by this method. The frequency of the submm laser was stabilized using the d.c. and a.c. Stark effects for a metal-dielectric rectangular waveguide laser. An estimated frequency stability of ±6×10^–8 was obtained for 119 m line of CH₃OH laser for one hour recording.     

Effect of laser light on n-GaAs photoetching

The etching of n-GaAs in aqueous solutions of hydroxides stimulated by HeNe and HeCd laser light was studied. It was found that at low laser-power densities (5–10 W · cm^–2) the etched depths do not depend on the wavelength of the incident light. This conclusion is related to the concentration of the photogenerated holes on the semiconductor surface. The diffusion length and absorption depths for HeNe and HeCd lasers are compared.     

Improvements of optical power scale realization with a CCD-based laser stabilization system

This paper deals with improvements in the measurements of optical power by using CCD-based stabilization optics. Absolute optical power scale has been realized at discrete laser wavelengths of vertically polarized tuneable Ar⁺, fixed He–Ne and fixed Nd:YAG (with second harmonic) laser sources. Electrical-substitution cryogenic radiometer was operated at the helium temperature for this purpose. To make measurements on the metrological level the intensities of lasers were stabilized to better than 0.004% by using an established system. Using the highly collimated and stabilized lasers, whose beam shape and dimension were adjusted properly, leads us to measure the absolute optical powers with an uncertainty in the order of 10⁻⁴.     

A tunable frequency stabilized Ar+ laser

The frequency of a single-mode Ar⁺ laser atv=582 THz (=515 nm) is stabilized by means of an external iodine cell to a Doppler broadened absorption profile. The —unmodulated — stabilized laser frequency is reproducible to ±1 MHz or ±1.5×10^–9 v and can be shifted within a 180 MHz wide range.     

Optically stabilized tunable diode-laser system for saturation spectroscopy

We present an optically stabilized lead-salt diode-laser system which is the nucleus of a very-high-resolution instrument for sub-Doppler molecular spectroscopy in the mid-infrared. By application of external optical feedback, we have narrowed the diode-laser linewidth by two orders of magnitude, yielding a spectral width of less than 200 kHz. The diode- laser frequency is stabilized and controlled via the external reflector by variable-frequency offset-locking the diode-laser to a CO laser frequency. This substantial improvement in the spectral properties enabled us to perform a Lamb-dip experiment on a carbonyl sulfide (OCS) absorption line near 1985 cm^–1. We were able to detect a saturated dispersion signal at low pressure (5 Pa) with a signal-to-noise ratio of several thousand. The present paper describes the unique features of the optically stabilized tunable diode-laser system and its use as a spectroscopic tool for sub-Doppler applications.     

Frequency tuning peculiarities of enhanced power monomode He−Ne lasers

Experimental results are presented concerning some peculiarities of frequency tuning of single-longitudinal-mode He–Ne lasers at 632.8 nm which single-mode selection is performed by increasing the homogeneous broadening of laser transition. These include the observation of an asymmetry of tuning regions with respect to the output power maximum; a jump of lasing frequency during which output power drops; and a strong dependence of frequency tuning on gas pressure and output power. In the case of a mixture of ²⁰Ne and ²²Ne isotopes, analytical expressions for the dependence on frequency of output power, unsaturated gain and saturated gain are obtained and computed at different neon isotope concentrations, gas pressures and cavity losses. Simultaneous consideration of these dependences is proposed and used for an explanation of experimentally observed peculiarities in frequency tuning. The obtained results could be used for realization of a frequency-stabilized He–Ne laser of a few milliwatts power for the purposes of multidimensional interferometric measurements.     

Performance of internal-mirror frequency-stabilized He-Ne lasers emitting green,yellow or orange light

A comprehensive control system has been developed for the stabilization of internalmirror He-Ne lasers to their power envelopes. It is designed particularly for use with lasers emitting at 552, 505, or 490 THz (543, 594, 612 nm). The aim has been to combine convenience in routine operation with good day-to-day resettability and minimal frequency drift during a day. The lasers are observed to emit in up to four modes simultaneously and their tuning behaviour is highly alignment-sensitive. They also tend to flip between modes having orthogonal linear planes of polarization. Reliable control of polarization and mode frequency are possible using permanent magnets and active length control through thermal expansion. The stabilized single-frequency outputs have frequency drifts of about 2×10^–8 per year, and powers of between 150 W and 850 W.     

Method to investigate the symmetry of saturated absorption signals by means of laser frequency locking techniques

It is shown that the line shape of a saturated absorption signal — especially its symmetry — can be investigated by combining laser frequency locking methods. The laser frequencyv, modulated with a frequencyf, is stabilized alternatively to the zero crossings of the synchronously detected 2f and 3f absorption signals. In addition, almost any other part of the profile can be tested by locking the laser frequency to neighboruing points of the zero crossings by using an offset technique. With two prestabilized Ar⁺ lasers atv=582 THz the symmetry of different¹²⁷ I ₂ hfs signals was investigated with an uncertainty of typically 2×10^–12 v or 10^–3 halfwidths.     

Polarization properties and frequency stabilization of an internal mirror He-Ne laser emitting at 543.5 nm wavelength

Frequency stabilization to the gain profile of an internal mirror He–Ne laser emitting at 543.5 nm wavelength is described. The dependence of the power and polarization on frequency was investigated for multi-mode and two-mode operation. The emitted laser modes are linearly polarized. Two orthogonal eigenpolarizations fixed to the laser tube were observed. Spontaneous switching between these polarizations occurred when the laser frequency was scanning through the gain profile. In two-mode operation, these polarization flips have been suppressed by applying a weak magnetic field transversal to the gas discharge. Under such operation conditions the frequencies of the laser could be stabilized to the gain profile by controlling the power difference of the two modes to zero. The fractional frequency reproducibility is in the region of f/f3×10^–8.     

Short-term frequency stabilization of diode-laser-pumped Nd:YAG lasers using double-pendulum suspended cavities

We describe the improvement of short-term frequency stability of diode-laser-pumped Nd:YAG lasers. To improve the vibrational isolation of reference cavities, the reference cavities were suspended by a double pendulum with magnetic damping. The frequency noise was reduced to lower than 1 Hz/Hz at Fourier frequencies higher than 5 Hz and the minimum noise of 7 × 10^–3 Hz/Hz was recorded. The minimum root Allan variance was about 10^–14 for the sampling time of 0.01 s. Heating of the reference cavity by absorbed laser power caused the thermal drift of cavity resonance frequencies. It resulted in the laser linewidth in the range of 30–50 Hz.     

Frequency stabilization of a frequency-doubled 197.2 THz distributed feedback diode laser on rubidium 5S1/2→7S1/2 two-photon transitions

A 197.2 THz (1520.2 nm) ITU-T grid distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser is frequency stabilized at 197.198 THz by 1ocking its second harmonic (SH) signal on the rubidium 5S_1/2→7S_1/2 two-photon transition at 394.396 THz (760.1 nm). With 100 mW from the DFB diode laser and amplifying by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, we obtain an SH power of 15 mW using a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide frequency doubler. The stability was 2×10⁻¹¹ (10 s), corresponding to a frequency variation of 4 kHz at 1520.2 nm. Our scheme provides a compact and high performance frequency reference in the communication band.     

A Simple Frequency Lock of Green YAG Laser to Dispersion Line of the Linear Absorption Spectrum of Iodine Molecules Utilizing an Acousto-Optic Frequency Shifter

Frequency of a 532 nm emission line of a diode-laser-pumped Nd:YAG laser is stabilized by lock of the output line to the linear absorption line of iodine molecules. The stabilization method is very simple utilizing the frequency shift caused with an acousto-optic modulator. The laser frequency was stabilized at the zero-crossing point of the second-derivative of the dispersion curve. Instability obtained by the error signal is affected by the phase-characteristics of detectors, which results in 3^*10^-8.     

Sub-Doppler Heterodyne Frequency Measurements near 5 μm with a CO-Laser Sideband System: Improved Calibration Tables for Carbonyl Sulfide Transitions

We present a series of sub-Doppler frequency measurements of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) rovibrational transitions covering the spectral region around 2050 cm⁻¹(61 THz). The absolute experimental uncertainties are between 21 and 84 kHz (Δν/ν = 3–14 × 10⁻¹⁰). In our spectrometer, tunable microwave sidebands are added to CO-laser lines and are used to saturate OCS transitions at low absorber pressure. The CO laser, plus a fixed-frequency sideband, is stabilized to the center of the OCS Lamb-dip signal and the laser frequency is measured against combination frequencies of two saturation-stabilized CO₂lasers. The determined OCS transition frequencies are combined with other data in a least-squares fit. These measurements improve the accuracy of several carbonyl sulfide bands for calibration purposes by one to two orders of magnitude. New molecular constants and detailed calibration tables between 860 and 3100 cm⁻¹are given.     

光纤飞秒光学频率梳的研制及绝对光学频率测量

实验利用商品光纤飞秒激光器,自行构建了一套完整的光学频率梳系统,并获得了约30 dB信噪比的系统频移(f_ceo)信号.实现了光频梳重复频率(f_rep)信号及系统频移(f_ceo)信号的高稳定度锁定,并通过实验验证了光频梳锁定的跟踪精度.基于此稳定光频梳完成了对1064 nm碘稳频Nd:YAG固体激光器的绝对频率测量.实验结果表明,f_rep的跟踪精度在100 s取样时间时优于3.7×10^-14,测量得到的1064 nm激光器绝对频率为:281630111757362 Hz.这一测量结果与国际计量委员会(CIPM)给出的国际推荐值符合到不确定度之内. 关键词： 光纤光频梳 稳频 锁相技术 光学频率计量     

A diode laser spectrometer at 634nm and absolute frequency measurements using optical frequency comb

This paper reports that two identical external-cavity-diode-laser (ECDL) based spectrometers are constructed at 634 nm referencing on the hyperfine B-X transition R(80)8-4 of ¹²⁷I₂. The lasers are stabilized on the Doppler-free absorption signals using the third-harmonic detection technique. The instability of the stabilized laser is measured to be 2.8×10^-12 (after 1000 s) by counting the beat note between the two lasers. The absolute optical frequency of the transition is, for the first time, determined to be 472851936189.5 kHz by using an optical frequency comb referenced on the microwave caesium atomic clock. The uncertainty of the measurement is less than 4.9 kHz.     

Proposal of a frequency-synthesis chain between the microwave and optical frequencies of the Ca intercombination line at 657 nm using diode lasers

We propose a frequency synthesis chain which can directly connect a microwave atomic clock with a visible laser. We design this chain for the frequency measurement of a visible laser locked on the intercombination transition of Ca at 657 nm. The proposed chain is based on both an optical difference frequency divider and an optical frequency comb generator, and it is designed to use nine visible and near-infrared diode lasers. We discuss the technical requirements to realize the frequency measurement accuracy level of 10^–14.     

Absolute frequency measurement of the iodine-stabilized He-Ne laser at 633 nm

The absolute frequency of an iodine-stabilized He-Ne laser at 633 nm stabilized on the i (or a₁₃) component of the 11-5 R(127) hyperfine transition of the ¹²⁷I₂ molecule is measured using a femtosecond optical comb generator and an iodine-stabilized Nd:YAG laser standard at 1064 nm. We link the measured absolute frequency to the current internationally adopted value via frequency intercomparison between JILA and the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), leading to the determination of the absolute frequency of the BIPM-4 standard laser. The resulting absolute frequency f_i(BIPM) of the BIPM-4 standard laser is f_i(BIPM)=473612214711.9±2.0 kHz, which is 6.9 kHz higher than the value adopted by the Comité International des Poids et Mesures (CIPM) in 1997. Received: 29 May 2000 / Revised version: 13 September 2000 / Published online: 22 November 2000