Wideband laser locking to an atomic reference with modulation transfer spectroscopy

We demonstrate that conventional modulated spectroscopy apparatus, used for laser frequency stabilization in many atomic physics laboratories, can be enhanced to provide a wideband lock delivering deep suppression of frequency noise across the acoustic range. Using an acousto-optic modulator driven...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Negnevitsky, Vlad, Turner, Lincoln D
Format Paper Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 19.02.2013
Subjects
Acoustic noise
Acoustooptical devices
Atomic physics
Broadband
Frequency modulation
Frequency stabilization
Lasers
Locking
Noise levels
Noise reduction
Phase modulation
Physics - Atomic Physics
Spectrum analysis
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Summary:We demonstrate that conventional modulated spectroscopy apparatus, used for laser frequency stabilization in many atomic physics laboratories, can be enhanced to provide a wideband lock delivering deep suppression of frequency noise across the acoustic range. Using an acousto-optic modulator driven with an agile oscillator, we show that wideband frequency modulation of the pump laser in modulation transfer spectroscopy produces the unique single lock-point spectrum previously demonstrated with electro-optic phase modulation. We achieve a laser lock with 100 kHz feedback bandwidth, limited by our laser control electronics. This bandwidth is sufficient to reduce frequency noise by 30 dB across the acoustic range and narrows the imputed linewidth by a factor of five.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1204.5240