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We describe a prototype optical cavity and associated optics that has been developed to provide a stable frequency reference for a future space-based laser ranging system. This instrument is being considered for inclusion as a technology demonstration on the recently announced GRACE follow-on mission, which will monitor variations in the Earth's gravity field.
The pulsed dye laser offers a tunable oscillator, followed by three amplifiers. It is pumped by a dual frequency Nd:YAG laser. Tuning and spectral width are controlled by a holographic network connected to a high power telescope. The modified two wavelength dye laser allows for absorption lidar techniques for remote sensing of the atmosphere. Line switching is achieved by electrooptical commutation. A feasibility experiment was performed with the original oscillator. A model was then built, and tested with different dyes. After a few modifications were made to improve the conversion efficiency, this oscillator was inserted in the laser to check whether the amplifier stages were correctly adjusted.
Enhanced Lamb dip width is 5 MHz and total depth is 10 percent of peak power. Present configuration is useful as frequency standard in near infrared. Technique extends to other lasers, for which low pressure narrow linewidth gain tubes can be constructed.
Based on an efficient broadband electrooptic modulator producing RF optical sidebands locked to a stable cavity, a tunable dye laser can be scanned under computer control with frequency-synthesizer precision. Cavity drift is suppressed in software by using a strong feature in the spectrum for stabilization. Mercury isotope shifts are measured with a reproducibility of about 50 kHz. This accuracy of about 1/300 of the linewidth illustrates the power of the technique. Derived hyperfine-structure constants are compared with previous atomic-beam data.
Quantum phase noise and plasma-induced phase noise in He-Ne lasers
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A carbon dioxide (CO2) Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) for accurate CO2 concentration measurement requires a frequency locking system to achieve high frequency locking precision and stability. We describe the frequency locking system utilizing Frequency Modulation (FM), Phase Sensitive Detection (PSD), and Proportional Integration Derivative (PID) feedback servo loop, and report the optimization of the sensitivity of the system for the feed back loop based on the characteristics of a variable path-length CO2 gas cell. The CO2 gas cell is characterized with HITRAN database (2004). The method can be applied for any other frequency locking systems referring to gas absorption line.
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Gas laser frequency stabilizing system includes sensitive spectrophone that senses dither modulation of frequency of laser beam, producing Lorentzian, Voigt, or Doppler spectral tuning response.
Laser frequency stabilization methods are based on a frequency discriminant which generates an unambiguous deviation signal used for automatic stabilization. Closed-loop control stabilizes cavity length at a null point. Some systems have a stabilized ring laser using a piezoelectric dither and others use a Doppler gain tube.
Frequency stabilization of double mode helium-neon laser via phase lock circuit
Frequency control system positions mirrors at either end of the laser cavity so the mirror separation is independent of thermal and acoustical fluctuations. A small portion of the laser output is split and directed upon a photodetector /photodiode/.