Phase-matched electrooptic modulator at 84 GHz for blue light: Theory,experimental test and applications

We describe the theory and experimental realization of an ultrafast phase-matched electrooptic modulator, working with 486 nm light and a modulation frequency of 84 GHz. To achieve phase matching for arbitrarily high modulation frequencies the laser beam is guided with several internal total reflections along a zig-zag path through a LiTaO₃ crystal. The method was studied experimentally with a 84 GHz modulator and a highly stable 486 nm dye laser. The maximum modulation index of this setup was about 5.0%. Beat signals between either the first- or the second-order sidebands and another laser were observed. This modulator was used to directly measure the 671 GHz 1S–2S isotope shift of hydrogen and deuterium with radio-frequency accuracy.     

Optical-to-microwave frequency chain utilizing a two-laser-based optical parametric oscillator network

A method for building an optical-to-microwave frequency chain and for measuring optical frequencies relative to the cesium primary frequency standard is described. Based on optical frequency division via parametric oscillators, the concept is to generate two known ratios (1/2 and 4/9) of an optical calibration frequencyf ₁ whose frequency difference is measured relative to the cesium clock. The (1/2) ratio is obtained by either a 2:1 frequency division off ₁ or second-harmonic generation of (l/2)f ₁. The (4/9) ratio off ₁ can be generated with a 3:1 frequency divider driven by a second laser atf ₂ that is chosen to be near (2/3)f ₁, which in turn is obtained with af ₁-pumped 3:1 frequency divider. A set of auxiliary Optical Parametric Oscillators (OPOs) with outputs centered at (1/2)f ₁ is used to facilitate the difference-frequency measurement between the two ratios. A practical configuration utilizing a YAG and a Ti: Al₂O₃ laser and its application to a number of precision measurements of interest are presented.     

An argon ion ring laser as a gyroscope

As a prototype gyroscope for a precision measurement of the Earth's rotation _E, we set up an argon ion ring laser with an area of 1.4 m². Different cavity geometries were tested in order to achieve a cancellation of the effect of the plasma flow. In a set-up with two laser tubes of the same type facing towards opposite directions, a stability of the beat frequency of 2–3 _E was measured. In a configuration with a double transition of the laser beam through the tube, the lock-in threshold was too high for the Earth's rotation to be measured, however, no effect of the plasma flow was observed.     

A test of special relativity with stored lithium ions

Laser spectroscopy at the heavy ion storage ring TSR in Heidelberg allows for precision experiments testing the limits of the special theory of relativity. With an optical-type three-level system of⁷Li⁺ the Doppler shift has been measured by saturation spectroscopy as a test of the time dilatation factor = (1 – ²)^–1/2 at an ion velocity of = 6.4% c. A precision of/ < 9 × 10^–9 has been obtained, which sets a second-order limit of 1.1 × 10^–6 for any deviation from the time dilatation factor. The fourth-order limit of this deviation is set below 2.7 × 10^–4 by the present experiment. These limits are given at a 1 confidence level.     

Rb atomic absorption line reference for single Sr+ laser cooling systems

85 Rb, 5s²S_1/2(F”=2)→6p²P_1/2(F’=2,3) absorption resonance with the ⁸⁸Sr⁺, 5s²S_1/2→5p²P_1/2 transition is exploited to provide a simple, effective frequency reference for a laser cooling/fluorescence excitation source applied to single Sr⁺ ions. A modulation-free frequency stabilization system has been designed which uses the differential signal from two frequency-displaced beams traversing a Rb cell and which probe the Doppler-broadened Rb S–P lineshape at microwatt power levels. The method is applied to frequency lock a 422-nm frequency-doubled diode laser system that is used for excitation of a single ⁸⁸Sr⁺ ion. Stable, long-term laser cooling and fluorescence are achieved using the frequency-stabilized 422-nm source resulting in observed ion confinement times without adjustment of over 8 h, together with an improvement in single-ion loading efficiency. Received: 12 February 1998     

A high sensitivity optical gyroscope based on slow light in coupled-resonator-induced transparency

We designed ring-in-ring planar resonator which is coupled with a straight waveguide to yield coupled-resonator-induced transparency (CRIT). The model shows an obvious effect which has a direct analogy with the phenomenon of the electromagnetically induced transparency in quantum systems. Based on this structure, a high sensitive optical gyroscope for measuring absolute rotation is proposed and analyzed. Its sensitivity scales directly with the group index whose can be reached to ¹⁰²-¹⁰⁴ orders of magnitude by using proper parameters.     

Reply to: “Comment on: ‘From classical to modern ether-drift experiments: the narrow window for a preferred frame’ [Phys. Lett. A 333 (2004) 355]” [Phys. Lett A 361 (2007) 509]

We present some arguments that should induce to re-consider from a new perspective the interference experiments in moving media (Michelson–Morley, Fizeau, …). These considerations are useful to understand and appreciate the experimental test recently proposed by Guerra and de Abreu.     

Stabilization and Shift of Frequency in an External Cavity Diode Laser with Solenoid-Assisted Saturated Absorption

A simple method to realize both stabilization and shift of the frequency in an external cavity diode laser （ECDL） is reported. Due to the Zeeman effect, the saturated absorption spectrum of Rb atoms in a magnetic field is shifted. This shift can be used to detune the frequency of the ECDL, which is locked to the saturated absorption spectrum. The frequency shift amount can be controlled by changing the magnetic field for a specific polarization state of the laser beam. The advantages of this tunable frequency lock include low laser power requirement, without additional power loss, cheapness, and so on.     

Precision test of the isotropy of light propagation

We report on a test of the isotropy of light propagation performed by comparing the resonance frequencies of two orthogonal cryogenic optical resonators subject to Earths rotation over 1yr. The technical aspects of the experiment are discussed and the analysis of the data is presented in detail. For a possible anisotropy of the speed of light c, we obtain c/c₀=(2.6±1.7)×10^-15. Within the general extension of the standard model of particle physics, we extract limits on seven parameters at accuracies down to 10^-15, improving the best previous result by about two orders of magnitude. Within the Robertson–Mansouri–Sexl test theory, this implies an isotropy-violation parameter --1/2=(2.2±1.5)×10^-9, about three times lower than the best previous result. PACS 03.30.+p; 12.60.-i; 06.30.Ft     

Carrier-envelope offset phase control: A novel concept for absolute optical frequency measurement and ultrashort pulse generation

The shortest pulses periodically emitted directly from a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser are approaching the two-optical-cycle range. In this region, the phase of the optical carrier with respect to the pulse envelope becomes important in nonlinear optical processes such as high-harmonic generation. Because there are no locking mechanisms between envelope and carrier inside a laser, their relative phase offset experiences random fluctuations. Here, we propose several novel methods to measure and to stabilize this carrier-envelope offset (CEO) phase with sub-femtosecond uncertainty. The stabilization methods are an important prerequisite for attosecond pulse generation schemes. Short and highly periodic pulses of a two-cycle laser correspond to an extremely wide frequency comb of equally spaced lines, which can be used for absolute frequency measurements. Using the proposed phase-measurement methods, it will be possible to phase-coherently link any unknown optical frequency within the comb spectrum to a primary microwave standard. Experimental studies using a sub-6-fs Ti:sapphire laser suggesting the feasibility of carrier-envelope phase control are presented. Received: 19 August 1999 / Published online: 8 September 1999     

Laser cavities and polarization optics for soft X-rays and the extreme ultraviolet

Addressed here are polarization optics for extreme-ultraviolet and soft X-ray wavelengths, especially as relevant to laser cavities. It is pointed out that the whisper-gallery mirrors studied by Vinogradov can serve as weak polarizers and, more importantly, as birefringent elements. The application of multilayer technology to polarizing mirrors and beamsplitters is also considered. It is shown that multilayer beamsplitters can function both as reflective and transmissive polarizers. Their behavior is surprising in some cases, with the same polarization being preferred in both reflection and transmission. Three polarizing cavity schemes are proposed, each incorporating a polarizing beamsplitter as its output coupler. Cavity optimization issues are discussed.     

An alternative approach for microlithography light source

A hybrid master oscillator–power amplifier (hybrid MOPA) scheme is proposed as a microlithography light source. The seed pulses are generated in the visible spectral range—where the necessary spectral purity is more easily achieved—and after frequency conversion are amplified in an excimer amplifier. The new concept enables us to decrease the bandwidth considerably, approaching the theoretical limit posed by the uncertainty relation. The feasibility of the new approach is demonstrated by a dye/excimer MOPA system, generating deep ultraviolet DUV (248-nm) pulses of 0.2-pm bandwidth.     

Stabilization of a non-planar optical cavity using its polarization property

This paper describes new scheme for obtaining a differential signal to lock an optical cavity at a resonance peak. This scheme utilizes a unique property of non-planar cavities; due to an additional phase factor originated from the geometric configuration of the optical path, the two circular polarizations produce two resonance peaks. An ideal signal that crosses zero at the resonance peaks can be obtained using a simple setup consisting of a polarizing beam splitter and photo-diodes. The principle and the results of an experiment are also presented.     

Kerr-lens, mode-locked lasers as transfer oscillators for optical frequency measurements

We introduce a novel concept for optical frequency measurement and division which employs a Kerr-lens, mode-locked laser as a transfer oscillator whose noise properties do not enter the measurement process. We experimentally demonstrate that this method opens up the route to phase-link signals with arbitrary frequencies in the optical or microwave range while their frequency stability is preserved. Received: 23 July 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

A transportable optical calcium frequency standardDedicated to J. Helmcke on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

-12 . Received: 15 October 1998     

A new method to measure the wavelength of single-mode pulsed lasers with a scanning Michelson interferometer

We report on the possibility to measure the wave-lengths of pulsed single-mode lasers by means of a two-beam Michelson interferometer in motion [1,2]. The corner reflector moves with a nearly constant speed creating a path differenceL so thatL/C 1/, being the spectral width of the laser to be measured. The reference laser is a stabilized He-Ne (Spectra-Physics, model 117 A) to a precision of the order of two parts in 10⁹. The fringe pattern of the two beams (reference beam and measured beam) is sampled simultaneously with a repetition rate of 40 ms. With this new method, the frequency doubled injection-seeded Nd: YAG laser wavelength has been measured with an accuracy of the order of 1.5 in 10⁸3 × 10^–4 cm^–1 at 532nm.     

Two-colour laser excitation as a way to set an absolute energy scale in photodetachment-microscopy based electron spectrometry

A two-colour laser technique is developed for photodetachment microscopy, by means of microwave modulation of a CW single-mode dye laser. A phase modulation regime is achieved through an electro-optical LiNbO₃ crystal excited at the frequency 1.95 GHz. The two first sidebands created are selected by rejection of the other orders through a plane Fabry-Perot interferometer. With the resulting two-colour radiation, the photodetachment microscopy technique is applied to a beam of ³²S⁻ ions. It is shown that the superposition of the two resulting interference patterns can be used as a ‘spectral vernier’ to remove the uncertainty on the electric field and absolute energy scale. Without any initial assumption on the value F of the electric field in the laser-ion interaction region, a measure of F and of the electron affinity ^eA of Sulfur can be obtained. Putting 16 recordings of two-colour photodetachment interferograms together, with the only condition that F be the same for all experiments, one gets ^eA(³²S) = 16752.978(11) cm⁻¹, which is quite compatible, even though not as accurate, with the most recently recommended value ^eA(³²S) = 16752.9760(42) cm⁻¹. A proposal is made for going from an incoherent to a coherent two-colour photodetachment scheme, which would make photodetachment interferograms sensitive to a new degree of freedom.     

Coupling laser radiation to a fabry-perot cavity with a single-mode optical fiber

Three aspects of coupling to Fabry-Perot cavities used in optical frequency standards are discussed: the use of a single-mode optical fiber to maintain coupling stability while improving vibration isolation of the cavity, the required stability of the coupling geometry, and the phase and polarization variations resulting from fiber movement. Optical fiber coupling should be useful when laser linewidths and stabilities at the Hertz level are desired.     

A compact Penning trap for light ions

We describe the construction of a novel compact Penning trap from strong permanent magnets for trapping light ions. Our cylindrically symmetric, iron-free magnetic configuration allows fully analytical treatment, is easy to handle and to optimize. The magnetic field inhomogeneity is less than 1% in a volume of 1 cm³ at 0.7 T. The stored H⁺ and H ₂ ⁺ ions in this trap are detected electrically by the rf absorption method. The charge density, total number and storage time of the trapped ions are measured.Dedicated to H. Walther on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Another derivation of Weinberg's formula

To investigate how quantum effects might modify special relativity, we will study a Lorentz transformation between classical and quantum reference frames and express it in terms of the four-dimensional (4D) momentum of the quantum reference frame. The transition from the classical expression of the Lorentz transformation to a quantum-mechanical one requires us to symmetrize the expression and replace all its dynamical variables with the corresponding operators, from which we can obtain the same conclusion as that from quantum field theory (given by Weinberg's formula): owing to the Heisenberg's uncertainty relation, a particle (as a quantum reference frame) can propagate over a spacelike interval.