A laser with instability reaching $4 \times 10^{-17}$ based on a 10-cm-long silicon cavity at sub-5-K temperatures

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Hauptverfasser: Chen, Zhi-Ang, Zeng, Hao-Ran, Wang, Wen-Wei, Zhang, Han, Lei, Run-Qi, Li, Jian-Zhang, Pang, Cai-Yin, Huang, She-Song, Zhang, Xibo
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Chen, Zhi-Ang
Zeng, Hao-Ran
Wang, Wen-Wei
Zhang, Han
Lei, Run-Qi
Li, Jian-Zhang
Pang, Cai-Yin
Huang, She-Song
Zhang, Xibo
author_facet Chen, Zhi-Ang
Zeng, Hao-Ran
Wang, Wen-Wei
Zhang, Han
Lei, Run-Qi
Li, Jian-Zhang
Pang, Cai-Yin
Huang, She-Song
Zhang, Xibo
contents The realization of ultra-stable lasers with $10^{-17}$-level frequency stability has enabled a wide range of researches on precision metrology and fundamental science, where cryogenic single-crystalline cavities constitute the heart of such ultra-stable lasers. For further improvements in stability, increasing the cavity length at few-kelvin temperatures provides a promising alternative to utilizing relatively short cavities with novel coating, but has yet to be demonstrated with state-of-the-art stability. Here we report on the realization of a relatively long ultra-stable silicon cavity with a length of 10 cm and sub-5-K operating temperatures. We devise a dynamical protocol of cool-quiet quench measurement that reveals the inherent $10^{-17}$-level frequency instability of the silicon cavity despite the substantially larger frequency noise induced by the cryostat vibration. We further develop a method for suppressing the cryostat-vibration-induced frequency noise under continuous cooling, and observe an average frequency instability of $4.3(2) \times 10^{-17}$ for averaging times of 4 to 12 seconds. Using the measured noise power spectral density, we compute a median linewidth of 9.6(3) mHz for the silicon cavity laser at 1397 nm, which is supported by an empirically determined linewidth of 5.7(3) mHz based on direct optical beat measurements. These results establish a new record for optical cavities within a closed-cycle cryocooler at sub-5-K temperatures and provide a prototypical system for using long cryogenic cavities to enhance frequency stabilities to the low-$10^{-17}$ or better level.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_06636
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A laser with instability reaching $4 \times 10^{-17}$ based on a 10-cm-long silicon cavity at sub-5-K temperatures
Chen, Zhi-Ang
Zeng, Hao-Ran
Wang, Wen-Wei
Zhang, Han
Lei, Run-Qi
Li, Jian-Zhang
Pang, Cai-Yin
Huang, She-Song
Zhang, Xibo
Optics
Atomic Physics
The realization of ultra-stable lasers with $10^{-17}$-level frequency stability has enabled a wide range of researches on precision metrology and fundamental science, where cryogenic single-crystalline cavities constitute the heart of such ultra-stable lasers. For further improvements in stability, increasing the cavity length at few-kelvin temperatures provides a promising alternative to utilizing relatively short cavities with novel coating, but has yet to be demonstrated with state-of-the-art stability. Here we report on the realization of a relatively long ultra-stable silicon cavity with a length of 10 cm and sub-5-K operating temperatures. We devise a dynamical protocol of cool-quiet quench measurement that reveals the inherent $10^{-17}$-level frequency instability of the silicon cavity despite the substantially larger frequency noise induced by the cryostat vibration. We further develop a method for suppressing the cryostat-vibration-induced frequency noise under continuous cooling, and observe an average frequency instability of $4.3(2) \times 10^{-17}$ for averaging times of 4 to 12 seconds. Using the measured noise power spectral density, we compute a median linewidth of 9.6(3) mHz for the silicon cavity laser at 1397 nm, which is supported by an empirically determined linewidth of 5.7(3) mHz based on direct optical beat measurements. These results establish a new record for optical cavities within a closed-cycle cryocooler at sub-5-K temperatures and provide a prototypical system for using long cryogenic cavities to enhance frequency stabilities to the low-$10^{-17}$ or better level.
title A laser with instability reaching $4 \times 10^{-17}$ based on a 10-cm-long silicon cavity at sub-5-K temperatures
topic Optics
Atomic Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.06636