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Review of Scientific Instruments

Note: Efficient generation of optical sidebands at GHz with a high-power tapered amplifier

Jake Zappala, K. Bailey, Zheng‐Tian Lu, Thomas P. O’Connor, Wei Jiang

Published Apr 1, 2014• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Two methods using a laser-diode tapered amplifier to produce high-power, high-efficiency optical frequency sidebands over a wide tunable frequency range are studied and compared. For a total output of 500 mW at 811 nm, 20% of the power can be placed in each of the first-order sidebands. Functionality and characterization are presented within the sideband frequency region of 0.8-2.3 GHz, and it is shown that both methods can be applied beyond this frequency range. These methods provide a versatile and effective tool for atomic physics experiments.

DOI
10.1063/1.4870412

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Two methods using a laser-diode tapered amplifier to produce high-power, high-efficiency optical frequency sidebands over a wide tunable frequency range are studied and compared. For a total output of 500 mW at 811 nm, 20% of the power can be placed in each of the first-order sidebands. Functionality and characterization are presented within the sideband frequency region of 0.8-2.3 GHz, and it is shown that both methods can be applied beyond this frequency range. These methods provide a versatile and effective tool for atomic physics experiments.
Laser cooling of atoms usually necessitates several laser frequencies. Alkaline atoms, for example, are cooled by two lasers with a frequency difference in the gigahertz range. This gap cannot be closed with simple shifting techniques. Here, we present a method of generating sidebands at 6.6 GHz by modulating the current of a tapered amplifier, which is seeded by an unmodulated master laser. The sidebands enable trapping of 1.1 × 10(9) (87)Rb atoms in a chip-based magneto-optical trap. Compared to the direct modulation of the master laser, this method allows for an easy implementation, a fast adjustment over a wide frequency range, and the simultaneous extraction of unmodulated light for manipulation and detection. The low power consumption, small size, and applicability for multiple frequencies benefit a wide range of applications reaching from atom-based mobile sensors to the laser cooling of molecules.
In this paper,we report an optical power amplifier operating at 780 nm.The optical power amplifier is a semiconductor tapered amplifier(Eagleyard,EYP-TPA-0780-01000);the output power from the optical power amplifier is up to about 600 mW when a seeding laser beam with a power of 25 mW is injected into the amplifier.After beam shaping by lens,frequency shifting by an acousto-optical modulator(AOM) and spatial filtering by a single-mode fiber,the output power is up to 110 mW.The presented optical power amplifier may be applied into the MOT for achieving a larger number of trapped atoms.
We present the investigation on the frequency-dependent amplification (FDA) of a tapered amplifier (TA) and the corresponding influence on Raman-type atom interferometers. In our interferometer, the output of two phase-locked diode lasers is injected into a TA to generate Raman beams. The frequency of one laser is chirped during the interfering process, which induces a variance of the Raman lasers power as a result of the FDA of the TA. The corresponding power ratio variation of the Raman lasers is measured by beat note method, which shows a linear dependence with a slope of -0.087(4)/GHz when the laser frequency changes over 2 GHz at 780 nm. The corresponding error related to AC Stark effect due to this frequency-dependent variation is estimated for our atom interferometer. The investigation presented here may provide hints for other experiments involving TAs.
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We demonstrate a simple method to obtain accurate optical waveforms with a gigahertz-level programmable modulation bandwidth and a watt-level output power for wideband optical control of free atoms and molecules.Arbitrary amplitude and phase modulations are transferred from microwave to light with a low-power fiber electro-optical modulator.The sub-milliwatt optical sideband is co-amplified with the optical carrier in a power-balanced fashion through a tapered semiconductor amplifier (TSA).By automatically keeping TSA near saturation in a quasi-continuous manner, typical noise channels associated with pulsed high-gain amplifications are efficiently suppressed.As an example application, we demonstrate interleaved cooling and trapping of two rubidium isotopes with coherent nanosecond pulses.
We present plans for the construction and operation of a tapered optical amplifier (TA) system seeded by a single-mode, frequency-tunable, near-IR external-cavity diode laser. Our plans include machine drawings for the parts, electronic circuit diagrams, and information on prices and vendors. Instructions are provided on how to safely couple light into and out of the TA chip. Practical aspects of handling the chip are discussed as well. Because many cold atom experiments require light beams with Gaussian spatial profiles, measurements of the tapered amplifier light output through a single-mode optical fiber are presented as a function of seed intensity, polarization, and driving current.