Abstract
A laser diode was used to excite the principal transition of atomic lithium at 671 nm, and this source was utilized in a laser cooling experiment. Frequency tuning of the 5-mW 670-nm Toshiba 9211 laser diodes is approximately 30 GHz/°C and 7 GHz/mA. Instrumentation was designed and constructed to produce a frequency stable output. Short- and long-term frequency stability of ±10 MHz was achieved by regulating the current to better than ±1 μA and stabilizing the temperature to approximately ±0.5 mK over periods exceeding 1 h. Temperature control was provided by a single-stage thermoelectric cooler and a thermistor mounted in the laser diode heat sink (inside the diode case). Using a feedback method, the 150-MHz free-running linewidth of these lasers was reduced to <10 MHz (measurement resolution). The laser cooling force on lithium atoms in an intense standing wave was investigated. A laser diode was used to pump atoms from the F = 1 to the F = 2 hyperfine ground state. The Doppler broadened transition out of the F = 1 state was matched by the broad linewidth of the free-running laser diode. Narrower pumping sources may only deplete a portion of the F = 1 population.
| Original language | British English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 242-244 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| State | Published - 1990 |
| Event | 17th International Conference on Quantum Electronics - IQEC '90 - Anaheim, CA, USA Duration: 21 May 1990 → 25 May 1990 |
Conference
| Conference | 17th International Conference on Quantum Electronics - IQEC '90 |
|---|---|
| City | Anaheim, CA, USA |
| Period | 21/05/90 → 25/05/90 |