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Laser Physics Letters

A stable frequency standard based on the one-color two-photon 5 S –7 S transition of rubidium at 760 nm

Sandan Wang, Jinpeng Yuan, Lirong Wang, Liantuan Xiao, Suotang Jia

Published Dec 1, 2019• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We report an experimental investigation of the 5 S 1/2 –7 S 1/2 one-color two-photon transition in rubidium vapor with a single continuous-wave laser operating at 760 nm. By utilizing a robust intensity modulation method, high-resolution spectra with a signal-to-noise ratio of ~120 are obtained. A perfect match between experimental results and the theoretical analysis is obtained by characterizing the probability of a two-photon transition with vapor temperature and laser power. Moreover, the influence of electric dipole selection rules on the two-photon transition is also investigated by changing the polarization of the laser beam. Since the 5 S 1/2 –7 S 1/2 two-photon transition is insensitive to stray magnetic fields and has an extremely narrow linewidth, we confidently believe that it can provide a concrete frequency standard for quantum telecommunication in the S -band window (1480–1530 nm). Meanwhile, the atomic system at 760 nm will serve as a good candidate for a quantum repeater.

DOI
10.1088/1612-202x/ab595c

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Abstract We report an experimental investigation of the 5 S 1/2 –7 S 1/2 one-color two-photon transition in rubidium vapor with a single continuous-wave laser operating at 760 nm. By utilizing a robust intensity modulation method, high-resolution spectra with a signal-to-noise ratio of ~120 are obtained. A perfect match between experimental results and the theoretical analysis is obtained by characterizing the probability of a two-photon transition with vapor temperature and laser power. Moreover, the influence of electric dipole selection rules on the two-photon transition is also investigated by changing the polarization of the laser beam. Since the 5 S 1/2 –7 S 1/2 two-photon transition is insensitive to stray magnetic fields and has an extremely narrow linewidth, we confidently believe that it can provide a concrete frequency standard for quantum telecommunication in the S -band window (1480–1530 nm). Meanwhile, the atomic system at 760 nm will serve as a good candidate for a quantum repeater.
Abstract We experimentally investigate the 6 S 1/2 –8 S 1/2 two-photon transition in cesium vapor by a single laser. A blue (455.5 and 459.3 nm) fluorescence signal is observed as a result of 822.5 nm laser beams illuminating the Cs vapor with a counter-propagating configuration. The dependences of the fluorescence intensity on the polarization combinations of the laser beams, laser power and vapor temperature are studied to obtain optimal experimental parameters. The frequency difference between the two hyperfine components of 4158 (7) MHz is measured with a Fabry–Perot interferometer as a frequency reference. Such a large spectral isolation and the insensitivity to the Earth’s magnetic field enable the 6 S 1/2 –8 S 1/2 transition to be a stable frequency standard candidate for a frequency-doubled 1644 nm laser in the U -band window for quantum telecommunication.
We experimentally study the high-resolution two-photon spectroscopy of rubidium using a single laser. The 5S1/2 − 5P3/2 − 5D5/2 transition is realized via 778.1 nm laser beams acting on the vapor with a counter-propagating configuration. The intensity modulation method is employed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrum by two orders of magnitude compared with that for direct measurement. The effects of the vapor temperature, the frequency-scanning speed of the laser, the polarization combination of the laser beams, and the laser power on the spectra are investigated to obtain the optimal experimental parameters. This research is expected to be beneficial for potential applications since it can be used to realize a compact and high-precision frequency standard for optical communication.
This is a progress report on the realization of a compact and transportable frequency standard at 1556 nm based on a two-photon transition in rubidium at 778 nm. These hyperfine transitions present great metrological interest. They have a narrow theoretical linewidth of 150 kHz when observed with a 1556 nm laser, and their absolute frequency is known with an uncertainty of 5.2 X 10-12. In this experiment, we use a high power 1556 nm DFB laser and reduce its linewidth to the 10 kHz level using optical feedback from a confocal cavity. We generate its second harmonic in a periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal and use this signal to injection-lock a Fabry-Perot laser emitting 42 mW at 778 nm. The slave laser is used to observe the Doppler-free two- photon transitions: two counter-propagating beams excite rubidium atoms which emit a blue fluorescence on resonance. This 420 nm light is detected on the side of the Rb cell with a photomultiplier. Such an optical frequency standard at 1556 nm, standing in the multiwavelength telecommunications systems window, becomes an attractive source for absolute frequency calibration of WDM components, optical spectrum analyzers and wavemeters.
Abstract High-precision time–frequency standards play vital roles in fundamental physics, geodesy, navigation, and communication. This paper reports experimental progress on an optical frequency standard (OFS) based on the 5S 1/2 → 5D 5/2 two-photon transition in 87 Rb. A 1556 nm communication-band laser is frequency-doubled to generate a 778.1 nm clock laser, which excites Rb atoms via counter-propagating beams. The 420 nm fluorescence is collected to obtain a high signal-to-noise-ratio transition spectrum. The effects of laser power and vapor cell temperature on the fluorescence intensity were systematically investigated. The impact of laser beam waist and atomic collisions on frequency shifts was analyzed. Results show that replacing a tightly focused beam with a large collimated one reduced the laser power-induced frequency shift by two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, increasing the vapor temperature enhances collision-induced frequency shifts, adversely affecting long-term stability. Under optimized conditions, the system achieved a short-term fractional frequency stability of 2.6 × 10 −13 at 1 s, reaching 5.3 × 10 −15 at 10 000 s. This work lays a critical technical foundation for the development of compact and high-performance OFSs.
We report on spectroscopic measurements of the Rb 5 D 5/2 state performed using two-photon excitation with a resonant intermediate state. With the two beams (5 S 1/2 → 5 P 3/2 at 780 nm and 5 P 3/2 → 5 D 5/2 at 776 nm) counterpropagating, the spectra are Doppler-free and the signals are very robust, even in a room temperature vapor. This is due to the near match of the transition wavelengths. The 5 D 5/2 hyperfine constants have been measured and compared to previous determinations. We have also performed the excitation in a sample of laser-cooled atoms and compare these results to those obtained at room temperature. The fact that the 5 P 3/2 → 5 D 5/2 transition is narrow, robust, diode-laser accessible, and relatively immune to AC-Stark shifts, may make it a promising candidate for a frequency reference at 776 nm.