Compact and robust laser system for onboard atom interferometry

Carraz, Olivier; Lienhart, F.; Charrière, Renée; Cadoret, Malo; Zahzam, Nassim; Bidel, Yannick; Bresson, Alexandre

doi:10.1007/s00340-009-3675-9

Cited by 75 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…This is a real inconvenient if one builds a compact and robust sensor [17] for geophysics, navigation or space application. Many developments [18,19,20] have been done over the last few years to achieve compact and robust laser systems for atom interferometers but none of them were addressing optical lattices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequency-doubled telecom fiber laser for a cold atom interferometer using optical lattices

Theron

Bidel

Dieu

et al. 2017

Optics Communications

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A compact and robust laser system, based on a frequency-doubled telecom laser, providing all the lasers needed for a rubidium cold atom interferometer using optical lattices is presented. Thanks to an optical switch at 1.5 µm and a dual-wavelength second harmonic generation system, only one laser amplifier is needed for all the laser system. Our system delivers at 780 nm a power of 900 mW with a detuning of 110 GHz for the optical lattice and a power of 650 mW with an adjustable detuning between 0 and -1 GHz for the laser cooling, the detection and the Raman transitions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequency-doubled telecom fiber laser for a cold atom interferometer using optical lattices

Theron

Bidel

Dieu

et al. 2017

Optics Communications

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“…The gravimeter is placed onto a passive vibration isolation table (Minus-K). The laser system for addressing 87 Rb atoms is similar to the one described in reference [11]. Basically, a distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode at 1.5 µm is amplified in a 5 W erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and then frequency doubled in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Compact cold atom gravimeter for field applications

Bidel

Carraz

Charrière

et al. 2013

Applied Physics Letters

151

125

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We present a cold atom gravimeter dedicated to field applications. Despite the compactness of our gravimeter, we obtain performances (sensitivity 42 µGal/Hz 1/2 , accuracy 25 µGal) close to the best gravimeters. We report gravity measurements in an elevator which led us to the determination of the Earth's gravity gradient with a precision of 4 E. These measurements in a non-laboratory environment demonstrate that our technology of gravimeter is enough compact, reliable and robust for field applications. Finally, we report gravity measurements in a moving elevator which open the way to absolute gravity measurements in an aircraft or a boat.Cold atom interferometer is a promising technology to obtain a highly sensitive and accurate absolute gravimeter. Laboratory instruments [1][2][3] have already reached the performances of the best classical absolute gravimeters [4] with a sensitivity of ∼ 10 µGal/Hz 1/2 (1 µGal = 10 −8 m/s 2 ) and an accuracy of 5 µGal. Moreover, compared to classical absolute gravimeters, atom gravimeters can achieve higher repetition rate [5] and do not have movable mechanical parts. These qualities make cold atom gravimeters more adapted to onboard applications like gravity measurements in a boat or in a plane. Cold atom gravimeters could thus be very useful in geophysics [6] or navigation [7]. In this context, cold atom sensors start to be tested on mobile platforms. An atom accelerometer has been operated in a 0 g plane [8]. An atom gradiometer has also been tested in a slow moving truck [9]. In this article, we present a compact cold atom gravimeter dedicated to field applications. First, we describe our apparatus and the technologies that we use to have a compact and reliable instrument. Then, we present the performances of the gravimeter in a laboratory environment. Finally, we report gravity measurements in a static and in a moving elevator.The principle of our cold atom gravimeter is well described in the literature [1] and we summarize in this letter only the basic elements. In an atom gravimeter, the test mass is a gas of cold atoms which is obtained by laser cooling and trapping techniques [10]. This cloud of cold atoms is released from the trap and its acceleration is measured by an atom interferometry technique. We use a Mach-Zehnder type atom interferometer consisting in a sequence of three equally spaced Raman laser pulses which drive stimulated Raman transitions between two stable states of the atoms. In the end, the proportion of atoms in the two stable states depends sinusoidally on *

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“…Atom interferometers with a modulated laser for the Raman transition have been demonstrated experimentally [8,24], and the uncertainty caused by the additional phase shift of the interferometric signal has been quantified [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A phase-modulated laser system of ultra-low phase noise for compact atom interferometers

Lee

Kim

Lee

et al. 2015

Journal of the Korean Physical Society

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A compact and robust laser system is essential for mobile atom interferometers. Phase modulation can provide the two necessary phase-coherent frequencies without sophisticated phase-locking between two different lasers. However, the additional laser frequencies generated can perturb the atom interferometer. In this article, we report on a novel method to produce a single high-power laser beam composed of two phase-coherent sidebands without the perturbing carrier mode. Light from a diode laser is phase-modulated by using a fiber-coupled electro-optic modulator driven at 3.4 GHz and passes through a Fabry-Perot cavity with a 6.8 GHz free spectral range. The cavity filters the carrier mode to leave the two first-order sidebands for the two-photon Raman transition between the two hyperfine ground states of 87 Rb. The laser beam is then fed to a single tapered amplifier, and the two sidebands are both amplified without mode competition. The phase noise is lower than that of a state-of-the-art optically phase-locked external-cavity diode laser (-135 dBrad 2 /Hz at 10 kHz) at frequencies above 10 Hz. This technique can be used in all-fiber-based laser systems for future mobile atom interferometers.

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Compact and robust laser system for onboard atom interferometry

Cited by 75 publications

References 13 publications

Frequency-doubled telecom fiber laser for a cold atom interferometer using optical lattices

Frequency-doubled telecom fiber laser for a cold atom interferometer using optical lattices

Compact cold atom gravimeter for field applications

A phase-modulated laser system of ultra-low phase noise for compact atom interferometers

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