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Frequency reference based on acetylene spectroscopy in hollow core fibers and optical phase locks using FPGA based detection and feedback.

Guillaume Baclet

Published Nov 3, 2023• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

AMO experiments have advanced the fields of precision metrology for time and frequency and quantum sensing in the last decades. Laser locked on accurate frequency reference are central to these experiments to adress atomic transition and manipulate the atomic clouds. The prospects that the portability of these experiments can offers have motivated the devellopement of portable frequency reference . In this work, a fibered frequency reference based on hollow-core photonic crystal fibers is presented. The spectrocopy of acetylene gas trapped in the fiber using a modulation transfer spectroscopy is studied and the stability of a frequency lock is characterised. The application of this technique offers numerous benefits such as compactness, robustness, and the capacity for a fully fibered laser system using telecom lasers. This approach aims to enhance portability and robustness in a variety of applications, including satellite navigation, quantum sensing, and telecommunications networks.Additionally, the thesis extends to developing an architecture for an OPLL based on FPGA, applied to Raman beams. A minimal architecture aims to establish low-noise phase lock, enabling cold atom coherent manipulation, using a reduced amount of components while offering the versatility of a digitally design phase lock loop.

DOI
10.70675/bfb552adzb878z48a6zb726z0c786807e143

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AMO experiments have advanced the fields of precision metrology for time and frequency and quantum sensing in the last decades. Laser locked on accurate frequency reference are central to these experiments to adress atomic transition and manipulate the atomic clouds. The prospects that the portability of these experiments can offers have motivated the devellopement of portable frequency reference . In this work, a fibered frequency reference based on hollow-core photonic crystal fibers is presented. The spectrocopy of acetylene gas trapped in the fiber using a modulation transfer spectroscopy is studied and the stability of a frequency lock is characterised. The application of this technique offers numerous benefits such as compactness, robustness, and the capacity for a fully fibered laser system using telecom lasers. This approach aims to enhance portability and robustness in a variety of applications, including satellite navigation, quantum sensing, and telecommunications networks.Additionally, the thesis extends to developing an architecture for an OPLL based on FPGA, applied to Raman beams. A minimal architecture aims to establish low-noise phase lock, enabling cold atom coherent manipulation, using a reduced amount of components while offering the versatility of a digitally design phase lock loop.
We have constructed a compact and robust optical frequency standard based around iodine vapor loaded into the core of a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). A 532 nm laser was frequency locked to one hyperfine component of the R(56) 32-0 (127)I(2) transition using modulation transfer spectroscopy. The stabilized laser demonstrated a frequency stability of 2.3×10(-12) at 1 s, almost an order of magnitude better than previously reported for a laser stabilized to a gas-filled HC-PCF. This limit is set by the shot noise in the detection system. We present a discussion of the current limitations to the performance and a route to improve the performance by more than an order of magnitude.
In this proceeding we present the design and characterization of a relatively simple, compact, and cost-effective laser system for quantum technologies. It operates at 780 nm to work with Rubidium (Rb) atoms, and apart from the frequency locking setup it is entirely based on fiber components. This improves reliability and makes it less complex and more versatile with respect to a free-space system. We also describe our experimental setup, aimed at demonstrating the possibility of confining atoms in hollow-core photonic-crystal fibers (HCPCF), while still being able to keep atoms cold and performing quantum sensing measurements. We finally present our characterization of the system. The measured features (rms relative amplitude noise of 3·10-4at 1 s; linewidths well below 1 MHz; pressure in the vacuum chamber lower9mbar) indeed make our system a suitable candidate for applications in quantum sensors and atom interferometers, which are briefly discussed.
Frequency stability of a 509-nm single-frequency laser, a core component combined with an 852-nm single-frequency laser for two-step cesium Rydberg transitions, is critical for quantum control and metrology precision. Utilizing atomic transition as the absolute reference, we achieved laser frequency locking via modulation-free Rydberg two-color polarization spectroscopy (Rydberg–TCPS) and frequency-modulated Rydberg electromagnetically-induced transparency (Rydberg–EIT) spectroscopy with discrete instruments combination and with Red Pitaya FPGA module. The results show that the Red Pitaya FPGA module matches discrete instruments combination in stability, being more compact and only one-tenth the cost. Rydberg–TCPS scheme avoids modulation-induced noise and linewidth broadening, outperforming Rydberg–EIT scheme. The Red Pitaya FPGA module provides a cost-effective, compact solution for Rydberg research, lowering experimental barriers.
In this study, a miniature laser frequency stabilization module for cold atom sensing applications was designed and realized.The module can lock the laser frequency to the saturated absorption spectrum of the D2 line of rubidium (Rb) atoms using the frequency modulation spectroscopy method.The module core is a tiny Rb cell, co-packaged with the saturation absorption optical setup, temperature control circuit, and detection circuit through a joint optical-mechanical-electrical design for a total volume of only 40 mm × 15 mm × 30 mm.The frequency fluctuation of the 780 nm laser after frequency stabilization by the module was within 1 MHz over 1000 s, which is adequate for magneto-optical trap experiments.The results verify the feasibility of the module as a frequency reference and provide a light source for portable cold atom sensing devices.
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We have built an optical-frequency standard based on interrogating iodine vapor that has been trapped within the hollow core of a hermetically sealed kagome-lattice photonic crystal fiber. A frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser locked to a hyperfine component of the P(142)37-0 I2127 transition using modulation transfer spectroscopy shows a frequency stability of 3×10−11 at 100 s. We discuss the impediments in integrating this all-fiber standard into a fully optical-fiber-based system, and suggest approaches that could improve performance of the frequency standard substantially.