A single-mode external cavity diode laser using an intra-cavity atomic Faraday filter with short-term linewidth < 400 kHz and long-term stability of < 1 MHz

We report on the development of adiode laser system - the “Faraday laser” - using an atomicFaraday filter as the frequency-selective element. In contrast to typical external-cavitydiode laser systems which offer tunable output frequency but require additional control systems in order to achieve a stable output frequency, our system only lases at a single frequency, set by the peak transmission frequency of the internal atomicFaraday filter. Our system has both short-term and long-term stability of less than 1 MHz, which is less than the naturallinewidth of alkali-atomic D-lines, making similar systems suitable for use as a “turn-key” solution for laser-cooling experiments.

Source: Review of Scientific Instruments - September 30, 2016 Category: Physics Authors: James Keaveney, William J. Hamlyn, Charles S. Adams and Ifan G. Hughes Source Type: research