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Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)

Frequency stabilization of lasers by locking to an atomic isoclinic point

N. P. Wells, James C. Camparo

Published Jun 1, 2010• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

To overcome the temperature sensitivity of lasers locked to Doppler-broadened transitions, we propose a scheme in which the laser is locked to an isoclinic point of the atom's spectrum: a frequency at which the first derivative of the absorption spectrum does not change upon a physical change of the sample. Here, we demonstrate that an isoclinic point exists in the Rb87D1spectrum at 795 nm, and that it is located midway between the Fg=2 → Fe=1 and Fg=2 → Fe=2 transitions. Locking a VCSEL diode laser to this isoclinic point, we have been able to demonstrate a very low sensitivity of the locked laser's frequency to temperature variations of the atomic vapor.

DOI
10.1109/freq.2010.5556317

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To overcome the temperature sensitivity of lasers locked to Doppler-broadened transitions, we propose a scheme in which the laser is locked to an isoclinic point of the atom's spectrum: a frequency at which the first derivative of the absorption spectrum does not change upon a physical change of the sample. Here, we demonstrate that an isoclinic point exists in the Rb87D1spectrum at 795 nm, and that it is located midway between the Fg=2 → Fe=1 and Fg=2 → Fe=2 transitions. Locking a VCSEL diode laser to this isoclinic point, we have been able to demonstrate a very low sensitivity of the locked laser's frequency to temperature variations of the atomic vapor.
The concept of atomic thermometry is dem onstrated in an experimental system consisting of two lasers frequency stabilized using FM spectroscopy. Utilizing the temperature insensitivity of the (su87)Rb D1 isoclinic point, a refrence laser is beat against a second laser locked to an atomic transition whose frequency is strongly dependent on the vapor temperature. The data presented here indicates that thermal fluctuations down to the mK level could potentially be sensed. This concept may be useful to obtain improved long term performance in Rb vapor cell atomic clocks.
We report the frequency stabilization of a diode laser by applying the dichroic-atomic-vapor laser lock (DAVLL) method to a thin Rb vapor cell. A 1-mm-long Rb vapor cell is used to obtain a sub-Doppler spectrum that is required for frequency locking, which is easier than in the case of using a saturated absorption spectrometer. A 794-nm diode laser is tuned to the Rb D 1 line, and sub-Doppler signals are observed by introducing a pumping beam and a probe beam in a perpendicular direction. We obtain error signals by subtracting the signals of σ+ polarized beams from that of σ- polarized beams in the presence of a magnetic field and stabilized the 794 nm diode laser frequency without modulating laser parameters. The stability of the 794-nm diode laser is evaluated using other independently stabilized diode laser.
We demonstrate a robust method of stabilizing a diode laser frequency to an atomic transition. This technique employs the Zeeman shift to generate an antisymmetric signal about a Doppler-broadened atomic resonance, and therefore offers a large recapture range as well as high stability. The frequency of a 780-nm diode laser, stabilized to such a signal in Rb, drifted less than 0.5 MHz peak-peak (1 part in 10(9)) in 38 h. This tunable frequency lock can be constructed inexpensively, requires little laser power, rarely loses lock, and can be extended to other wavelengths by use of different atomic species.
In the research presented here, we reconsider the problem of obtaining stable resonant features in linear absorption spectroscopy, which has application to ultraminiature atomic physics where sub-Doppler spectroscopic techniques are not always optimal. In particular, we consider the applicability of isoclinic points for precision atomic spectroscopy. These are defined as ``[a] wavelength, wave number, or frequency at which the first derivative of an absorption spectrum of a sample does not change upon a chemical reaction or physical change of the sample,'' and we demonstrate the existence of isoclinic points in the D1{D}_{1}D1​ spectra of I=3/2I=3/2I=3/2 alkali-metal isotopes, where III is the nuclear spin. We then consider the D1{D}_{1}D1​ isoclinic point of 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb in detail, showing that a slight 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb contamination in real 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb samples should have no significant effect on the frequency stability of the isoclinic point and that optical pumping by a linearly polarized laser should also not affect the isoclinic point's stability (i.e., the isoclinic point is insensitive to laser intensity). Finally, we perform an experiment demonstrating that the 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb D1{D}_{1}D1​ isoclinic point has a temperature shift more than an order of magnitude smaller than that of the most isolated transition in the 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb D1{D}_{1}D1​ spectrum.
A robust laser-frequency-locking scheme to atomic transitions is proposed and demonstrated. In this scheme, dispersion of the Zeeman-shifted atoms instead of absorption in the dichroic atomic vapor laser lock (DAVLL) [Appl. Opt.37, 3295 (1998)] is measured and used as an error signal for stabilization feedback. The error signal of the proposed scheme can provide a wide locking range. Experimental demonstration with the transition between 5d 2D3/2 and 6p 2P1/2 of Ba+ is carried out for a grating feedback external-cavity laser diode at 650 nm.