Standalone optical frequency-offset locking electronics for atomic physics
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866910075064418304 |
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| author | Shalaby, K. Hunt, T. Moir, S. Trottier, P. Reuschel, T. Barrett, B. |
| author_facet | Shalaby, K. Hunt, T. Moir, S. Trottier, P. Reuschel, T. Barrett, B. |
| contents | We present a standalone frequency-offset locking system for controlling narrow-linewidth lasers using off-the-shelf electronic components. We lock two frequency-doubled 1560 nm lasers to a stable primary laser operating at 780 nm via their optical beat note. This radio-frequency beat note is fed through a broadband variable divider, a frequency-to-voltage converter, and a proportional-integrator controller to lock each follower laser to a tunable offset frequency relative to the primary. This architecture provides a large capture range ($> 1$ GHz), fast response times ($< 1$ ms), and high linearity. We achieve a frequency resolution of 1.9 kHz and a short-term fractional frequency instability $10^{-11}/\sqrt{τ\rm (s)}$ at 780 nm without the need for a dedicated, precise clock reference. We perform high-resolution spectroscopy of cold $^{87}$Rb atoms to demonstrate the tunability and precision of our locking system. We designed the system to be modular and extensible, making it applicable to a wide variety of atomic physics experiments, including laser cooling, spectroscopy, and quantum sensing with atoms, ions, and molecules. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_22080 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Standalone optical frequency-offset locking electronics for atomic physics Shalaby, K. Hunt, T. Moir, S. Trottier, P. Reuschel, T. Barrett, B. Atomic Physics Instrumentation and Detectors Quantum Physics We present a standalone frequency-offset locking system for controlling narrow-linewidth lasers using off-the-shelf electronic components. We lock two frequency-doubled 1560 nm lasers to a stable primary laser operating at 780 nm via their optical beat note. This radio-frequency beat note is fed through a broadband variable divider, a frequency-to-voltage converter, and a proportional-integrator controller to lock each follower laser to a tunable offset frequency relative to the primary. This architecture provides a large capture range ($> 1$ GHz), fast response times ($< 1$ ms), and high linearity. We achieve a frequency resolution of 1.9 kHz and a short-term fractional frequency instability $10^{-11}/\sqrt{τ\rm (s)}$ at 780 nm without the need for a dedicated, precise clock reference. We perform high-resolution spectroscopy of cold $^{87}$Rb atoms to demonstrate the tunability and precision of our locking system. We designed the system to be modular and extensible, making it applicable to a wide variety of atomic physics experiments, including laser cooling, spectroscopy, and quantum sensing with atoms, ions, and molecules. |
| title | Standalone optical frequency-offset locking electronics for atomic physics |
| topic | Atomic Physics Instrumentation and Detectors Quantum Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.22080 |