Frequency stable I 2 Raman laser excited by a cw frequency doubled monolithic Nd:YAG laser

Abstract

Continuous Raman laser operation with 127I 2, 127I 129I and 129I 2 molecules, excited by a frequency doubled diode pumped monolithic Nd:YAG ring laser is reported. Within the tuning range of the pump laser, the molecules possess several absorption transitions, which so far enabled laser operation on more than 50 lines in the spectral range of 544–1330 nm. Multi-line and single-line operation in standing wave and ring resonators have been investigated. With pump powers of up to 500 mW, output powers up to 10 mW on individual lines were possible. Due to the narrow Raman gain profiles (down to 100 kHz) and the narrow pump laser line width of 10 kHz of the Nd:YAG, correspondingly narrow Raman laser line widths are expected. Therefore, with the pump laser stabilized on a specific hyperfine iodine absorption transition and a frequency locking of the Raman laser resonator to the induced Raman gain profile, a system with many reference laser lines and with expected frequency stabilities of δ ν/ ν≈10 −10 can be realized.