Simultaneous Dual Laser Stabilization for Strontium Atom Interferometry
Abstract
The use of strontium in an atom interferometer presents the opportunity to perform detailed measurements of gravitational fields, rotation rates, and clock transitions as well as other natural phenomena. Strontium can be particularly effective in atom interferometry experiments for two reasons. The first is that the intrinsic magnetic properties of strontium result in less sensitivity of the transition frequencies to magnetic noise, allowing for better measurements. Second, strontium atoms can be cooled to a lower temperature just through ordinary Doppler cooling than other atoms typically used in interferometry (e.g., rubidium). A lower temperature means less initial kinetic energy and hence lower spatial dispersion over the course of an experiment. A magneto-optical trap consisting of two primary cooling lasers and two repump lasers cools and confines strontium atoms for use in the interferometer. This thesis focuses on the repump lasers and includes the design and performance of the optical system that frequency stabilizes each laser. The system demonstrated the ability to simultaneously frequency lock the two repump lasers to the degree necessary to form a strontium magneto-optical trap.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1201757
Entities
People
- Matthew D Spakowski
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School