Title :
Low noise laser for optically pumped cesium standards
Author_Institution :
Ball Commun. Syst. Div., Broomfield, CO, USA
fDate :
31 May-2 Jun 1989
Abstract :
An external cavity diode laser is developed for optical pumping and detection of a cesium atomic beam. The laser is about 2×4×5 cm in size, is tunable to any wavelength over a 40-nm range, and emits two collimated beams of light with power outputs to 6 mW each. The laser spectrum consists of a single longitudinal mode with every narrow linewidth. When locked to a single hyperfine transition in atomic cesium, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for fluorescence detection of the transition far exceeds the SNR observed when an unmodified laser diode is used
Keywords :
atomic clocks; measurement standards; optical pumping; semiconductor junction lasers; 2 to 5 cm; 6 mW; SNR; collimated beams of light; external cavity diode laser; fluorescence detection; frequency standards; hyperfine transition; laser spectrum; low noise laser; narrow linewidth; optical pumping; optically pumped Cs standards; power outputs; signal-to-noise ratio; single longitudinal mode; size; tunable; Atom optics; Atomic beams; Diode lasers; Laser excitation; Laser mode locking; Laser noise; Laser transitions; Optical noise; Optical pumping; Pump lasers;
Conference_Titel :
Frequency Control, 1989., Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Denver, CO
DOI :
10.1109/FREQ.1989.68850
