O. Acef

Frequency measurement of the 5S12(F = 3)−5D52(F = 5) two-photon transition in rubidium

Abstract We have measured the frequencies of three diode lasers stabilized on the 5 S 1 2 (F = 3)−5 D 5 2 (F = 5) two-photon transition in rubidium at λ = 778.1 nm, with an uncertainty of 1 kHz, using BNM-LPTF frequency synthesis chain starting from a CO 2 OsO 4 reference laser at 10.3 μm. We show that this frequency chain is able to reach the 10−13 resolution level. After a discussion of the systematic effects that may shift the resonance, the transition frequency is found to be ν = 385 285 142 378.280 ± 2 kHz.

A CO2 to visible optical frequency synthesis chain: accurate measurement of the 473 THz HeNe/I2 laser

Abstract We have built an optical frequency synthesis chain starting from our laboratory-measured reference at 29 THz (CO 2 /OsO 4 laser) and we have measured the frequency of a HeNe laser locked on a hyperfine transition of iodine at 473 THz. The result of the measurement of the laser locked on the “f” component of the (127) R11-5 transition is v =473 612 353 586.9 ± 5 KHz. The given uncertainty (Δ v / v =1×10 -11 ) is 10 times better than the previous published measurement. It is only limited by the reproducibility of that standard laser. Our chain is potentially capable of measuring optical frequencies from the visible down to the near infrared range with an accuracy level of 10 -12 , which is presently limited by our reference accuracy.

Coherent optical link through the turbulent atmosphere

We describe the realization of a 5 km free space coherent optical link through the turbulent atmosphere between a telescope and a ground target. We present the phase noise of the link, limited mainly by atmospheric turbulence and mechanical vibrations of the telescope and the target. We discuss the implications of our results for applications, with particular emphasis on optical Doppler ranging to satellites and long distance frequency transfer.

Astrophysical radiative shocks: From modeling to laboratory experiments

Radiative shock waves are observed around astronomical objects in a wide variety of environments, for example, they herald the birth of stars and sometimes their death. Such shocks can also be created in the laboratory, for example, by using energetic lasers. In the astronomical case, each observation is unique and almost fixed in time, while shocks produced in the laboratory and by numerical simulations can be reproduced, and investigated in greater detail. The combined study of experimental and computational results, as presented here, becomes a unique and powerful probe to understanding radiative shock physics. Here we show the first experiment on radiative shock performed at the PALS laser facility.The shock is driven by a piston made from plastic and gold in a cell filled with xenon at 0.2 bar. During the first 40 ns of the experiment, we have traced the radiative precursor velocity, that is showing a strong decrease at that stage.Three-dimensional ~3D! numerical simulations, including state-of-art opacities, seem to indicate that the slowing down of the precursor is consistent with a radiative loss, induced by a transmission coefficient of about 60% at the walls of the cell. We infer that such 3D radiative effects are governed by the lateral extension of the shock wave, by the value of the opacity, and by the reflection on the walls. Further investigations will be required to quantify the relative importance of each component on the shock properties.

Experimental study of radiative shocks at PALS facility

We report on the investigation of strong radiative shocks generated with the high energy, sub-nanosecond iodine laser at PALS. These shock waves are characterized by a developed radiative precursor and their dynamics is analyzed over long time scales (50 ns), approaching a quasi-stationary limit. We present the first preliminary results on the rear side XUV spectroscopy. These studies are relevant to the understanding of the spectroscopic signatures of accretion shocks in Classical T Tauri Stars.

Lasers for coherent optical satellite links with large dynamics

We present the experimental realization of a laser system for ground-to-satellite optical Doppler ranging at the atmospheric turbulence limit. Such a system needs to display good frequency stability (a few parts in 10-14) while allowing large and well-controlled frequency sweeps of ±12  GHz at rates exceeding 100  MHz/s. Furthermore it needs to be sufficiently compact and robust for transportation to different astronomical observation sites, where it is to be interfaced with satellite ranging telescopes. We demonstrate that our system fulfills those requirements and should therefore allow operation of ground to low Earth orbit satellite coherent optical links limited only by atmospheric turbulence.

Spectral properties of molecular iodine in absorption cells filled to specified saturation pressure

We present the results of measurement and evaluation of spectral properties of iodine absorption cells filled at certain saturation pressure. A set of cells made of borosilicate glass instead of common fused silica was tested for their spectral properties in greater detail with special care for the long-term development of the absorption media purity. The results were compared with standard fused silica cells and the high quality of iodine was verified. A measurement method based on an approach relying on measurement of linewidth of the hyperfine transitions is proposed as a novel technique for iodine cell absorption media purity evaluation. A potential application in laser metrology of length is also discussed.

Frequency doubling of CO 2 laser radiation at 10.6 μm in the highly nonlinear chalcopyrite LiGaTe 2

Type-I phase matching for second-harmonic generation at 10.6 microm in LiGaTe(2) is demonstrated by using a tunable single-frequency continuous-wave CO(2) laser, and the nonlinear coefficient of LiGaTe(2) is determined from comparison with AgGaSe(2). The effective nonlinearity of LiGaTe(2) for this process amounts to 34.5 pm/V.

Stable 120-mW green output tunable over 2 THz by a second-harmonic generation process in a KTP crystal at room temperature

We report on 120-mW directly measured cw power at 532 nm from a tunable alpha -distributed-feedback laser diode near 1.064 microm frequency doubled in a KTP crystal operating room temperature inside a ring cavity. Our experimental setup allows us to scan frequencies up to 2 THz in the green-light domain and thus is extremely useful for iodine spectroscopy. We show good agreement between experimental results and theoretical predictions for the second-harmonic generation process.

30-THz upconversion of an AlGaAs diode laser with AgGaS2: bridging the several-terahertz frequency gap in the near infrared

We report as much as 6-micro W upconverted cw radiation at lambda = 778 nm from the sum-frequency mixing of a 50-mW diode laser at lambda = 842 nm and a 200-mW CO(2) laser at lambda = 10.2 microm by use of a 15-mm-long silver thiogallate crystal. This nonlinear material provides a convenient connection between IR and visible/near-IR optical standards. We describe simple frequency chains based on this upconversion process that permit the absolute frequency measurement of many visible or near-IR possible standards at the 10(-12) accuracy level. Transposition of terahertz-scale frequency-difference measurements from the near IR to the 10-microm domain is also proposed.