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Optimizing a Highly Stable Diode Laser for Spectroscopy and Atom Trapping

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1992: A narrow-band tunable diode laser system with grating feedback, and a ... 1995: Inexpensive laser cooling and trapping experiment for undergraduate laboratories. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Optimizing a Highly Stable Diode Laser for Spectroscopy and Atom Trapping


1
Optimizing a Highly Stable Diode Laser for
Spectroscopy and Atom Trapping
  • John E. Sohl
  • Caleb Z. Trammell
  • Weber State University
  • Ogden, UT

2
Overview
  • Brief History
  • What is an ECDL?
  • Carl Wiemans ECDL design
  • Other ECDL designs
  • Our ECDL design
  • Results and current status

3
History
  • Carl Wiemans group, AJP papers
  • 1992 A narrow-band tunable diode laser system
    with grating feedback, and a saturated absorption
    spectrometer for Cs and Rb.
  • 1995 Inexpensive laser cooling and trapping
    experiment for undergraduate laboratories.
  • Nobel Prizes
  • 1997 Laser trapping
  • 2001 BEC
  • 1999 NSF workshops

4
Current Status
  • Numerous papers on improved laser design since
    1999.
  • Moderate number of undergraduate laboratories
    doing saturated absorption.
  • A few doing atomic trapping.
  • Why? Not Easy and Laser Stability

5
Goal Wavelength Stability
  • These issues have been covered in our other paper
    today.
  • Cavity size (mode spacing and l or n)
  • Thermal mass and stability
  • Ease of construction and operation

6
Laser Gain Profiles
From S.J.H. Petra, 1998
7
Laser Design
  • Extended Cavity Diode Laser ECDL
  • Feedback from the diffraction grating (G) forces
    the wavelength to a specific value.

8
Other Designs
2000
1997
1998
9
Our Design
  • Simple
  • Easy to align and assemble
  • Easy to build
  • Inexpensive
  • Low thermal mass
  • Short cavity

10
Results and Current Status
  • Laser has been built and is being tested.
  • Earlier modifications have resulted in frequency
    stability of 300 kHz (lt1 part in 108) for
    several hours at a time. (Wieman got 3.5
    seconds.)
  • Expecting factor of 3 improvement with new
    design.
  • Should be operational in 2-3 days.
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