Berlin 2005 – scientific programme
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Q: Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 58: Optische Meßtechnik & Präzisionsmessungen II
Q 58.6: Talk
Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 18:15–18:30, HU 2002
Frequency Characteristics of an Inherently Stable Nd:YAG Laser Operated at Liquid Helium Temperature — •Matthias Scholz1, Evgeny Kovalchuk2, Achim Peters2, and Ingo Freitag3 — 1Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, AG Nanooptik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin — 2Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, AG Optische Metrologie, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin — 3INNOLIGHT GmbH, Garbsener Landstr. 10, 30419 Hannover
We report on precision frequency measurements of a free–running Nd:YAG laser operating at temperatures down to 6.5 K. Due to reduced electron–phonon interactions in Nd:YAG at cryogenic temperatures, a mid–term stability on the order of 10−11 at τ≤ 30 s has been achieved. Even after one week of measurement absolute frequency deviations were lower than 1.85 MHz. This means an up to hundredfold improvement of stability compared to any existing free–running solid–state laser.
Beside the fundamental interest in studying this material system at low temperature, cryogenic Nd:YAG lasers could find applications in space-based exeriments, where a cryogenic environment (e.g. for detectors) often already exists. Future formation flying missions have frequency stability requirements which are already met by our current setup, avoiding the complexity of active frequency stabilization under space conditions.