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Applied Optics

All acousto-optic modulator laser system for a 12 m fountain-type dual-species atom interferometer

Chuan He, Sitong Yan, Lin Zhou, Sachin Barthwal, Rundong Xu, Chao Zhou, Yu-Hang Ji, Qi Wang, Zhuo Hou, Jin Wang, Mingsheng Zhan

Published May 26, 2021• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We design and implement a laser system for 85 R b and 87 R b dual-species atom interferometers based on acousto-optic frequency shift and tapered amplifier laser technologies. We use eight-pass acousto-optic modulators to generate repumping lasers for 85 R b and 87 R b atoms. The maximum frequency shift of the laser is 2.8 GHz, and the diffraction efficiency is higher than 20%. We use high-frequency acousto-optic modulators to generate the Raman lasers. This laser system uses only two seed lasers to provide the various frequencies required by 85 R b and 87 R b dual-species atom interferometers, which greatly improves laser usage. The laser system is applied in the equivalence principle test experiment using an 85 R b and 87 R b dual-species atom interferometer. The signal of atoms launched to 12 meters is successfully observed, and the resolution of gravity differential measurement is improved from 8 × 10 − 9 g to 1 × 10 − 10 g .

DOI
10.1364/ao.429965

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We design and implement a laser system for 85 R b and 87 R b dual-species atom interferometers based on acousto-optic frequency shift and tapered amplifier laser technologies. We use eight-pass acousto-optic modulators to generate repumping lasers for 85 R b and 87 R b atoms. The maximum frequency shift of the laser is 2.8 GHz, and the diffraction efficiency is higher than 20%. We use high-frequency acousto-optic modulators to generate the Raman lasers. This laser system uses only two seed lasers to provide the various frequencies required by 85 R b and 87 R b dual-species atom interferometers, which greatly improves laser usage. The laser system is applied in the equivalence principle test experiment using an 85 R b and 87 R b dual-species atom interferometer. The signal of atoms launched to 12 meters is successfully observed, and the resolution of gravity differential measurement is improved from 8 × 10 − 9 g to 1 × 10 − 10 g .
A compact laser system for a portable 87Rb atom interferometry gravimeter has been demonstrated in this work. This laser system is based on frequency doubling of a single seed laser at the wavelength of 1560 nm. The frequency of the seed laser is controlled by a digital unit with an analog feedback circuit. By using this frequency control method, the frequency of the laser system can be shifted over 1 GHz. Based on this method, the Raman frequency can be locked on the F = 3 → F′ = 4 transition of 85Rb atoms. Moreover, the Raman sideband and the repumping laser are generated by a phase modulator, and it can generate different laser frequencies to meet the requirements of a typical atom interferometer. Additional sidebands in the Raman beam produced from the phase modulator are optimized and reduced, allowing us to observe atom interference with a free evolution time of 320 ms. The control unit including the laser system has been integrated into a box with a volume of 1.5 m × 0.6 m × 0.6 m, and the weight of which is only 150 kg. Using this compact optical scheme, our atomic gravimeter has achieved a sensitivity of 53 μGal/Hz1/2 and a resolution of better than 1 μGal (1 μGal = 1 × 10−8 m/s2) in an integration time of 3000 s.
We report an improved test of the weak equivalence principle by using a simultaneous $^{85}\mathrm{Rb}\text{\ensuremath{-}}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ dual-species atom interferometer. We propose and implement a four-wave double-diffraction Raman transition scheme for the interferometer, and demonstrate its ability in suppressing common-mode phase noise of Raman lasers after their frequencies and intensity ratios are optimized. The statistical uncertainty of the experimental data for E\"otv\"os parameter $\ensuremath{\eta}$ is $0.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1{0}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ at 3200 s. With various systematic errors corrected, the final value is $\ensuremath{\eta}=(2.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.0)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1{0}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$. The major uncertainty is attributed to the Coriolis effect.
Raman pulse sequences are generally used to coherently manipulate the atomic wave packet in an atom interferometer.High power Raman beams allow more atoms join in the velocity-sensitive stimulated Raman transition,and that will be helpful for obtaining high signal to noise ratio in atom interferometer fringe.Development of high power Raman laser is important for cold atom interferometer experiments.The experimental realization of high power Raman lasers are demonstrated based on injection locking technique. Master laser is modulated by a 1.5 GHz acousto-optical modulator,and the±1 order diffraction lights are used as seeding Raman lasers.The seeding lasers are injection locked to two slave lasers which are further amplified as Raman beams.The frequency difference of Raman beams is 3.0 GHz,and the detuning range is about 200 MHz.
We have developed a modified Michelson interferometer type Raman laser system to manipulate cold 87 Rb atoms to interfere. A frequency modulated continuous wave technique was introduced to determine the optical path difference, thus compensating it to zero to minimize the effects of common mode noise. The linewidth (full width at half maximum) of the beat signal at 6.834 GHz was measured to 1Hz limited by the resolution bandwidth of the spectral analyzer. The measured rms phase variance of the phase noise at 166 MHz was 0.015 rad2, mainly restricted by our poor performance radio frequency microwave source. With modest improvements, we plan to apply this laser system to form an atom interferometer for acceleration and rotation measurements.
Bragg diffraction for atom interferometry conventionally requires two laser frequencies whose difference makes the two-photon transition resonant. We show that this frequency difference can instead be generated by serrodyne modulation, allowing Bragg pulses to be driven with a single-frequency laser. The serrodyne modulation is performed using an acousto-optic modulator driven with a phase-modulated RF drive, and generated kilohertz-scale frequency shifts on top of the AOM carrier frequency. While in general serrodyne modulation generates strong unwanted frequency components, we find conditions so that the Bragg diffraction pulses, and atom interferometers constructed from them, are robust to these imperfections, opening the door to the development of ultra compact, single frequency Bragg diffraction based atom interferometers with serrodyne modulation implemented by a position modulated retroreflection mirror.
The Zhaoshan long-baseline Atom Interferometer Gravitation Antenna (ZAIGA) is a new, to the best of our knowledge, type of large-scale atom interferometer facility under construction for the study of gravitation and related problems. To meet the different requirements of the laser system for the atom interferometer using various atoms (including 85 R b , 87 R b , 87 S r , and 88 S r ), we design and implement a modular assembled laser system. By dividing the laser system into different basic units according to their functions and modularizing each unit, the laser system is made highly scalable while being compact and stable. Its intensity stability is better than 0.1% in 1 0 2 s and 0.5% in 1 0 4 s . We test the performance of the laser system with two experimental systems, i.e., an 85 R b − 87 R b dual-species ultracold atom source and an 85 R b atom interferometer. The 85 R b − 87 R b dual-species magneto-optical trap and the 85 R b atom interference fringes are realized by using this laser system, indicating that its technical performance can meet the major experimental requirements.