A compact ultranarrow high-power laser system for experiments with 578 nm ytterbium clock transition

Year: 2015

Authors: Cappellini G., Lombardi P., Mancini M., Pagano G., Pizzocaro M., Fallani L., Catani J.

Autors Affiliation: LENS European Lab Nonlinear Spect, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Florence, Dept Phys & Astron, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; CNR, INO, Sez Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; INRIM Ist Nazl Ric Metrol, I-10135 Turin, Italy.

Abstract: In this paper, we present the realization of a compact, high-power laser system able to excite the ytterbium clock transition at 578 nm. Starting from an external-cavity laser based on a quantum dot chip at 1156 nm with an intra-cavity electro-optic modulator, we were able to obtain up to 60 mW of visible light at 578 nm via frequency doubling. The laser is locked with a 500 kHz bandwidth to an ultra-low-expansion glass cavity stabilized at its zero coefficient of thermal expansion temperature through an original thermal insulation and correction system. This laser allowed the observation of the clock transition in fermionic Yb-173 with a < 50 Hz linewidth over 5 min, limited only by a residual frequency drift of some 0.1 Hz/s. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. Journal/Review: REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

Volume: 86 (7)      Pages from: 073111-1  to: 073111-6

More Information: We would like to thank D. Calonico and F. Levi for the supply of the ULE cavity and vacuum system and L. Lorini for early fruitful discussions. We are grateful to M. Siciliani de Cumis and P. Cancio Pastor for the help in characterizing the ULE cavity zero CTE temperature and K. Lauber for early suggestions on long base ECDLs. We also thank M. Inguscio and C. Sias for useful discussions and F. Schaefer for the contribution to the initial development of the system. This work was supported by EU FP7 Project SIQS, MIUR Project PRIN2012 AQUASIM, and ERC Advanced Grant DISQUA.
KeyWords: Clocks; Frequency doublers; High power lasers; Modulators; Optical waveguides; Semiconductor quantum dots; Thermal expansion; Thermal insulation; Ytterbium, Clock transition; Electro-optic modulators; External cavity lasers; Frequency drifts; Frequency-doubling; High-power laser systems; Intracavities; Ultra-low expansion glass, Quantum dot lasers
DOI: 10.1063/1.4927165

Citations: 12
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