Researchers at JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado, have developed a compact and cost-effective method for stabilizing lasers. The new design reduces sensitivity to vibrations and gravity by 100 times compared to similar approaches. This stabilization is crucial for applications like optical clocks and lidar that require precise laser frequency control.
The key innovation is a shorter optical cavity positioned vertically with symmetrical mounting supports. This configuration allows opposing distortions from gravity and vibrations to cancel each other out, resulting in a more stable laser frequency. The system was demonstrated using an infrared laser and is expected to reduce complexity and costs while maintaining high performance.
The research was supported by the Office of Naval Research, NASA, NSF, and NIST. The findings were published in Optics Letters on July 15, 2005.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2005/07/compact-jila-system-stabilizes-laser-frequency
Keywords: Laser, frequency, cavity, vibration, precision, stabilization, resonance, glass, cylinder, mirrors, wavelength, temperature, expansion, distortion, performance, complexity, cost, infrared, laser system, reference oscillator, optical clock, lidar
