Conversion of Laser Phase Noise to Amplitude Noise in an Optically Thick Vapor
Abstract
As laser light propagates through a resonant vapor, laser phase noise (PM) is converted to laser intensity noise (AM) because of the sensitivity of atomic coherence to laser phase fluctuations. In experiments reported here, it is shown that this PM-to-AM conversion process is highly efficient and can cause the relative intensity noise of transmitted diode laser light to be 1 to 2 orders of magnitude larger than the laser's intrinsic relative intensity noise. By use of a semi-classical description of the phenomenon, including the effect of optical pumping, reasonably good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained. The PM-to-AM conversion process discussed here has important consequences for atomic clock development, in which diode-laser optical pumping in thick alkali vapors holds the promise for orders-of-magnitude improvement in atomic clock performance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 10, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA376380
Entities
People
- James C. Camparo
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation