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Laser diode excitation of lithium atoms

C. C. Bradley, J. Chen, Randall G. Hulet

Published May 21, 1990• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Laser diodes are an attractive source of coherent light for use in spectroscopy and laser cooling. These lasers are capable of single-mode operation, can be rapidly modulated, are easy to use, and are less expensive than alternative sources. We have used a laser diode to excite the principal transition of atomic lithium at 671 nm and utilizad this source in a laser cooling experiment.

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Laser diodes are an attractive source of coherent light for use in spectroscopy and laser cooling. These lasers are capable of single-mode operation, can be rapidly modulated, are easy to use, and are less expensive than alternative sources. We have used a laser diode to excite the principal transition of atomic lithium at 671 nm and utilizad this source in a laser cooling experiment.
We have constructed a solid-state light source for experiments with laser cooled lithium atoms based on a Nd:YVO4 ring laser with second-harmonic generation. Unidirectional lasing, an improved mode selection, and a high output power of the ring laser were achieved by weak coupling to an external cavity which contained the lossy elements required for single frequency operation. Continuous frequency tuning is accomplished by controlling two piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) in the internal and the external cavities simultaneously. The light source has been utilized to trap and cool fermionic lithium atoms into the quantum degenerate regime.
We have constructed a solid-state light source for experiments with laser cooled lithium atoms based on a Nd:YVO4 ring laser with second-harmonic generation. Unidirectional lasing, an improved mode selection, and a high output power of the ring laser were achieved by weak coupling to an external cavity which contained the lossy elements required for single frequency operation. Continuous frequency tuning is accomplished by controlling two piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) in the internal and the external cavities simultaneously. The light source has been utilized to trap and cool fermionic lithium atoms into the quantum degenerate regime.
We have developed a diode laser apparatus to excite Li from its ground 2S state, through 2P and 3S, to its Rydberg states with three cw diode lasers operating at λ = 671 nm, 813 nm, and 630-635 nm. A He-Ne laser at λ = 633 is sometimes used in place of the 635-nm diode laser for the last step. The output power of each of these lasers was ~1 mW. We describe our technique of locking the first two lasers on Li resonance lines by obtaining a fluorescent signal from the second decay (3S ? 2P) that is normally overpowered by a strong background of fluorescent light from the first decay (2P ? 2S). We used two balanced photodiodes to reject the strong fluorescent light without loss of collection efficiency. A rejection ratio as high as 100 has been obtained.
The usefulness of stimulated Raman transitions has been demonstrated in a variety of different applications. These two-photon transitions have the capability of very high resolution because the transition linewidths depend on the relative jitter between two frequencies, rather than absolute jitter on either one. Recent demonstrations include laser cooling and atomic interferometry [1]. They may also be needed for improved atomic clocks [2]. Due to this high resolution, stimulated Raman transitions can be a direct replacement for a microwave cavity and are often more compatible with optical experiments because a laser beam requires less space.