Semiconductor lasers stabilized to spectral holes in rare earth crystals to a part in 1013 and their application to devices and spectroscopy

Single-frequency diode lasers have been stabilized to 200 Hz at 1.5 mum and independently to 20 Hz at 793 nm over 10-ms integration times using narrow spectral holes in the absorption lines of Er3+- and Tm3+-doped cryogenic crystals as frequency references. Kilohertz stability over 100-s integration times is provided by these techniques, and that performance should be extendable to long integration times with further development. The achieved frequency stabilization provides ideal lasers for high-resolution spectroscopy in the time and frequency domains. real time analog optical signal processing based on spatial-spectral holography, interferometry, and other applications requiring ultra-narrow-band light sources or coherent detection. The stabilized lasers have enabled demonstrations of analog optical signal processing in Er3+ materials at 0.5 GHz bandwidths at temperatures of 4.2 K. and they will be important for electromagnetically induced transparency and quantum information demonstrations. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.