Abstract
We present an optically stabilized lead-salt diode-laser system which is the nucleus of a very-high-resolution instrument for sub-Doppler molecular spectroscopy in the mid-infrared. By application of external optical feedback, we have narrowed the diode-laser linewidth by two orders of magnitude, yielding a spectral width of less than 200 kHz. The diode- laser frequency is stabilized and controlled via the external reflector by variable-frequency offset-locking the diode-laser to a CO laser frequency. This substantial improvement in the spectral properties enabled us to perform a Lamb-dip experiment on a carbonyl sulfide (OCS) absorption line near 1985 cm−1. We were able to detect a saturated dispersion signal at low pressure (5 Pa) with a signal-to-noise ratio of several thousand. The present paper describes the unique features of the optically stabilized tunable diode-laser system and its use as a spectroscopic tool for sub-Doppler applications.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
D.E. Jennings: Appl. Phys. Lett.33, 493 (1978)
A.G. Maki, J.S. Wells: Wavenumber calibration tables from heterodyne frequency measurements. National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication821 (1991)
B. Meyer, S. Saupe, M.H. Wappelhorst, T. George, F. Kühnemann, M. Havenith, M. Schneider, W. Urban, J. Legrand: Appl. Phys. B (submitted)
O. Pfister, F. Guernet, G. Charton, C. Chardonnet, F. Herlemont, J. Legrand: J. Opt. Soc. Am. B10, 1521 (1993)
J. Reid, D.T. Cassidy, R.T. Menzies: Appl. Opt.26, 4058 (1987)
R. Brüggemann, M. Petri, H. Fischer, D. Mauer, D. Reinert, W. Urban: Appl. Phys. B48, 105 (1989)
M. Mürtz, M. Schaefer, M. Schneider, J.S. Wells, W. Urban, U. Schiessl, M. Tacke: Opt. Commun.94, 551 (1992)
C. Freed, J.W. Bielinski, W. Lo: Proc. SPIE438, 119 (1984)
M. Reich, R. Schieder, H.J. Clar, G. Winnewisser: Appl. Opt.25, 130 (1986)
C. Nicolas, A.W. Mantz: Appl. Opt.28, 4525 (1989)
M.D. Vanek, J.S. Wells, A.G. Maki: J. Mol. Spectrosc.147, 398 (1991)
B. Dahmani, L. Hollberg, R. Drullinger: Opt. Lett.12, 876 (1987)
H. Li, H.R. Telle: IEEE J. QE-25, 257 (1989)
P. Laurent, A. Clairon, C. Breant: IEEE J. QE-25, 1131 (1989)
C. Wieman, T.W. Hänsch: Phys. Rev. Lett.36, 1170 (1976)
M. Mürtz, M. Schaefer, M. Schneider, J.S. Wells, W. Urban, U. Schiessl, M. Tacke: InMonitoring of Gaseous Pollutants by Tunable Diode Lasers (Freiburg Symposium 1991) ed. by R. Grisar, H. Böttner, M. Tacke, G. Restelli (Kluwer, Dordrecht 1992) pp. 191–201
M. Petri, T. Fink, W. Urban: InMonitoring of Gaseous Pollutants by Tunable Diode Lasers (Freiburg Symposium 1991) ed. by R. Grisar, H. Böttner, M. Tacke, G. Restelli (Kluwer, Dordrecht 1992) pp. 217–229
M. Schaefer, M. Petri, M. Mürtz, S. König, W. Urban: Rev. Sci. Instrum. (submitted)
K.M. Evenson, M. Inguscio, D.A. Jennings: J. Appl. Phys.57, 956 (1985)
W. Demtröder:Laser Spectroscopy (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 1988; new edn., to be published 1995)
H. Adams, D. Reinert, P. Kalkert, W. Urban: Appl. Phys. B34, 179 (1984)
D. Goddon, A. Groh, H.J. Hanses, M. Schneider, W. Urban: J. Mol. Spectrosc.147, 392 (1991)
W. Bohle: Internal Report, Institut für Angewandte Physik, Bonn (1989) (unpublished)
V.S. Letokhov, V.P. Chebotayev:Nonlinear Laser Spectroscopy, Springer Ser. Opt. Sci., Vol.4 (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 1977)
T. George, S. Saupe, M.H. Wappelhorst, W. Urban: Appl. Phys. B 59 (1994)
H.J. Clar, R. Schieder, M. Reich, G. Winnewisser: Appl. Opt.28, 1648 (1989)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mürtz, M., Schaefer, M., George, T. et al. Optically stabilized tunable diode-laser system for saturation spectroscopy. Appl. Phys. B 60, 31–37 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01082069
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01082069