Experiments in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics rely on lasers at many different wavelengths and with varying requirements on spectral linewidth, power, and intensity stability. Vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs), when combined with nonlinear frequency conversion, can potentially replace many of the laser systems currently in use. Here we present and characterize VECSEL systems that can perform all laser-based tasks for quantum information processing experiments with trapped magnesium ions. For photoionization of neutral magnesium, 570.6
nm light is generated with an intracavity frequency-doubled VECSEL containing a lithium triborate (LBO) crystal for second harmonic generation. External frequency doubling produces 285.3
nm light for resonant interaction with the
1S0↔ 1P1 transition of neutral Mg. Using an externally frequency-quadrupled VECSEL, we implement Doppler cooling of
25Mg
+ on the 279.6
nm
2S1/2↔ 2P3/2 cycling transition, repumping on the 280.4
nm
2S1/2↔ 2P1/2 transition, coherent state manipulation, and resolved sideband cooling close to the motional ground state. Our systems serve as prototypes for applications in AMO requiring single-frequency, power-scalable laser sources at multiple wavelengths.
We demonstrate Doppler cooling of trapped magnesium ions using a frequency comb at 280 nm obtained from a frequency tripled Ti:sapphire laser. A comb line cools on the 3s_{1/2}-3p_{3/2} transition, while the nearest blue-detuned comb line contributes negligible heating. We observe the cooling-heating transition and long-term cooling of ion chains with several sympathetically cooled ions. Spatial thermometry shows that the ion is cooled to near the Doppler limit. Doppler cooling with frequency combs has the potential to open many additional atomic species to laser cooling by reaching further into the vacuum and extreme ultraviolet via high-harmonic generation and by providing a broad bandwidth from which multiple excitation sidebands can be obtained.
A laser system with a narrow generation line for secondary laser cooling of 87 Sr atoms has been developed and investigated. It is planned to use ultracold 87 Sr atoms loaded in an optical lattice in an optical frequency standard. To this end, a 689-nm semiconductor laser has been stabilised using an external reference ultrastable cavity with vibrational and temperature compensation near the critical point. The lasing spectral width was 80 Hz (averaging time 40 ms), and the frequency drift was at a level of 0.3 Hz s -1 . Comparison of two independent laser systems yielded a minimum Allan deviation: 2 × 10 -14 for 300-s averaging. It is shown that this system satisfies all requirements necessary for secondary cooling of 87Sr atoms using the spectrally narrow 1 S 0 — 3 P 1 transition (λ = 689 nm).