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Updated: May 27, 2026

Construction and Characterization of External Cavity Diode Lasers for Atomic Physics
Published on: April 24, 2014
Dual-wavelength laser source for onboard atom interferometry
1Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d’Optique, CNRS and Université Paris Sud 11, 2 Avenue Fresnel, 91127 Palaiseau, France. vincent.menoret@institutoptique.fr
Abstract:
We present a compact and stable dual-wavelength laser source for onboard atom interferometry with two different atomic species. It is based on frequency-doubled telecom lasers locked on a femtosecond optical frequency comb. We take advantage of the maturity of fiber telecom technology to reduce the number of free-space optical components, which are intrinsically less stable, and to make the setup immune to vibrations and thermal fluctuations. The source provides the frequency agility and phase stability required for atom interferometry and can easily be adapted to other cold atom experiments. We have shown its robustness by achieving the first dual-species K-Rb magneto-optical trap in microgravity during parabolic flights.
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