Frequency stabilization of a semiconductor laser using water-vapor absorption lines

Oliver Grohe; Harald Gottschling; Holger Jennewein; Theo T. Tschudi

doi:10.1117/1.1353802

1 April 2001 Frequency stabilization of a semiconductor laser using water-vapor absorption lines

Oliver Grohe, Harald Gottschling, Holger Jennewein, Theo T. Tschudi

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 40, Issue 4, (April 2001). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.1353802

Distance measurements based on the principle of optical interferometry require stabilized laser frequencies. Recently frequency stabilization of lasers has been successfully achieved using, for example, rubidium and iodine absorption lines. These materials are used to stabilize a single frequency. For some applications, especially in the field of optical metrology, it is necessary to stabilize several wavelengths in a region of about 10 nm simultaneously. The simple molecule water vapor shows a system of many vibrational-rotational absorption lines in the near-infrared region. We show that it is possible to use water-vapor absorption lines for frequency stabilization by locking a semiconductor laser to the 791-nm (379-THz) absorption line. We discuss the stability of a synthetic wavelength that could be achieved by stabilizing two lasers independently on two different water-vapor absorption lines.

©(2001) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Citation Download Citation

Oliver Grohe, Harald Gottschling, Holger Jennewein, and Theo T. Tschudi "Frequency stabilization of a semiconductor laser using water-vapor absorption lines," Optical Engineering 40(4), (1 April 2001). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.1353802

Published: 1 April 2001

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

;

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE