An open source digital servo for atomic, molecular, and optical physics experiments

Abstract

We describe a general purpose digital servo optimized for feedback control of lasers in atomic, molecular, and optical physics experiments. The servo is capable of feedback bandwidths up to roughly 1 MHz (limited by the 320 ns total latency); loop filter shapes up to fifth order; multiple-input, multiple-output control; and automatic lock acquisition. The configuration of the servo is controlled via a graphical user interface, which also provides a rudimentary software oscilloscope and tools for measurement of system transfer functions. We illustrate the functionality of the digital servo by describing its use in two example scenarios: frequency control of the laser used to probe the narrow clock transition of 27Al+ in an optical atomic clock, and length control of a cavity used for resonant frequency doubling of a laser.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2015
Source ID
10.1063/1.4938282

Entities

People

  • D. R. Leibrandt
  • J. Heidecker

Organizations

  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • Office of Naval Research

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Electronics Engineering
  • Quantum spin resonance or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy