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Optimizing a Highly Stable Diode Laser for Spectroscopy and Atom Trapping

This paper presents the development of a highly stable Extended Cavity Diode Laser (ECDL) aimed at improving spectroscopy and atomic trapping experiments. We trace the historic advancements in ECDL designs, including significant contributions from Carl Wieman's group and related Nobel Prize-winning research. Our new design emphasizes simplicity, low thermal mass, and ease of assembly while enhancing wavelength stability. Preliminary results show frequency stability improvement up to 300 kHz, with expectations for further enhancements. The laser is currently under testing and will be operational shortly.

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Optimizing a Highly Stable Diode Laser for Spectroscopy and Atom Trapping

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  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 Wieman’s ECDL design • Other ECDL designs • Our ECDL design • Results and current status

  3. History • Carl Wieman’s 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 (<1 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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