ISSN:
1349-9432
Keywords:
frequency stabilized He-Ne laser
;
frequency standard laser
;
iodine stabilized He-Ne laser
;
single-mode laser
;
frequency offset lock
;
frequency pulling
;
high accuracy
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Abstract A high-power, unmodulated frequency standard laser light with low running cost is a powerful tool for industrial measurement involving laser calibration and interferometry in length and shape. To obtain such a laser light, we developed an intermittent frequency offset locked laser (IFOL laser). This laser system, composed of an iodine stabilized He-Ne laser (I2SL) and a high-powered symmetric three-mode He-Ne laser (HP-3ML, optical output=5 mW), provides two stabilization operational modes: (1) independent mode (I-mode) and (2) slave mode (S-mode). Utilizing the frequency pulling effect, HP-3ML is stabilized at the condition of symmetric three-mode oscillation, and a 3 mW single-mode light with frequency instability of 10-12 is obtained (I-mode). When the optical frequency deviates from the allowed limit during I-mode, HP-3ML is temporarily offset-locked to I2SL (S-mode) with frequency resettability of 10-10 and frequency instability of 10-12. After completion of the drift reset in S-mode, HP-3ML is stabilized in I-mode again, and then I2SL is turned off. In a typical case of allowed drift in ±1 MHz, repetitive operation of I-mode for 10 days and S-mode for 5 min was satisfactory. Such an intermittent operation reduces the working time of I2SL dramatically, resulting in low running cost that enables long-term use in industrial measurement.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10043-997-0675-z
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