Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
08:48
Low-cost Custom Fabrication and Mode-locked Operation of an All-normal-dispersion Femtosecond Fiber Laser for Multiphoton Microscopy
Published on: November 22, 2019
Narrow-line phase-locked quantum cascade laser in the 9.2 microm range
Franck Bielsa1, Albane Douillet, Tristan Valenzuela
1Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Evry, UPMC, CNRS, ENS, Paris, France.
Optics Letters
|June 19, 2007
Summary
We demonstrate a 50 mW quantum cascade laser (QCL) phase-locked to a CO2 laser. This technique narrows the QCL
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Laser Physics
- Spectroscopy
Background:
- Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are semiconductor lasers with emission wavelengths tunable over a wide range.
- High-resolution molecular spectroscopy requires highly stable and narrow-linewidth lasers.
- Existing QCLs often have broad emission spectra, limiting their spectroscopic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To narrow the emission spectrum of a continuous-wave quantum cascade laser (QCL).
- To achieve phase-locking of a QCL to a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser.
- To enable high-resolution molecular spectroscopy applications using QCLs.
Main Methods:
- Operation of a 50 mW continuous-wave quantum cascade laser (QCL) at 9.2 micrometers.
- Phase-locking the QCL to a single-mode CO2 laser using a tunable frequency offset.
- Characterization of the QCL's emission spectrum before and after phase-locking.
Main Results:
- Successful phase-locking of the QCL to the CO2 laser was achieved.
- The free-running emission spectrum of the QCL (3-5 MHz) was significantly narrowed to the kilohertz range.
- The phase-locked QCL demonstrated suitability for high-resolution molecular spectroscopy.
Conclusions:
- Phase-locking a QCL to a CO2 laser effectively narrows its spectral linewidth.
- The developed technique enhances QCLs for high-resolution spectroscopic measurements.
- This work paves the way for advanced molecular sensing and analysis using QCL technology.
