Frequency locking to a high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavity of a Frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser used as the optical phase modulator

Optics experiments critically require the stable and accurate locking of relative phases between light beams or the stabilization of Fabry-Perot cavity lengths. Here, we present a simple and inexpensive technique based on a stand-alone microcontroller unit to perform such tasks. Easily programmed in C language, this reconfigurable digital locking system also enables automatic relocking and sequential functioning. Different algorithms are detailed and applied to fringe locking...

We propose a modulation-free optical frequency stabilization technique using an interferometric effect between transmitted and reflected lights from a reference cavity. The property of the reflected light brings robustness of the error signal against laser intensity fluctuations as in previous stabilization methods. Due to the property of the transmitted light, the capture range for a specific locking frequency is expanded up to twice the FSR of the cavity, which we experimen...

We discuss a phase-sensitive technique for remote interrogation of passive Bragg grating Fabry-Perot resonators. It is based on Pound-Drever-Hall laser frequency locking, using radio-frequency phase modulation sidebands to derive an error signal from the complex optical response, near resonance, of a Fabry-Perot interferometer. We examine how modulation frequency and resonance bandwidth affect this error signal. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate when the las...

Residual amplitude modulation (RAM) effect in a Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) technique locked cavity system is analysed in this paper. Frequency shift caused by RAM in PDH is found to be both related to the amplitude of the RAM and to the cavity's mode matching and impedance matching. The cavity reflection contrast depends on the mode matching of the incident laser light and impedance matching of the cavity. The suppression of the amplitude of the RAM has been investigated by many...

Fiber Fabry-Perot cavities, formed by micro-machined mirrors on the end-facets of optical fibers, are used in an increasing number of technical and scientific applications, where they typically require precise stabilization of their optical resonances. Here, we study two different approaches to construct fiber Fabry-Perot resonators and stabilize their length for experiments in cavity quantum electrodynamics with neutral atoms. A piezo-mechanically actuated cavity with feedba...

The Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) cavity-locking scheme has found prevalent uses in precision optical interferometry and laser frequency stabilization. A form of frequency modulation spectroscopy, PDH enjoys superior signal-to-noise recovery, large acquisition dynamic range, wide servo bandwidth, and robust rejection of spurious effects. However, residual amplitude modulation at the signal frequency, while significantly suppressed, still presents an important concern for further ad...

We report the frequency stabilization of an erbium-doped fiber distributed-feedback laser using an all-fiber based Michelson interferometer of large arm imbalance. The interferometer uses a 1 km SMF-28 optical fiber spool and an acousto optic modulator allowing heterodyne detection. The frequency noise power spectral density is reduced by more than 40 dB for Fourier frequencies ranging from 1 Hz to 10 kHz, corresponding to a level well below 1 Hz^2/Hz over the whole range. It...

We present a method for remote interrogation of passive fiber Bragg grating Fabry-Perot resonators, employing current modulation of the diode laser source. With the presence of both RF amplitude and frequency modulation, it is a variant of the ultra-sensitive Pound-Drever-Hall laser frequency locking technique. We demonstrate that current modulation and interferometric demodulation removes the need for a phase modulator in the sensing architecture.

We present an experimental technique enabling mechanical-noise free, cavity-enhanced frequency measurements of an atomic transition and its hyperfine structure. We employ the 532nm frequency doubled output from a Nd:YAG laser and an iodine vapour cell. The cell is placed in a traveling-wave Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with counter-propagating pump and probe beams. The FPI is locked using the Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) technique. Mechanical noise is rejected by differencing ...

The unique benefits of Fabry-P\'erot resonators as frequency-stable reference cavities and as an efficient interface between atoms and photons make them an indispensable resource for emerging photonic technologies. To bring these performance benefits to next-generation communications, computation, and timekeeping systems, it will be necessary to develop strategies to integrate compact Fabry-P\'erot resonators with photonic integrated circuits. In this paper, we demonstrate a ...