Coupled Optical Resonance Laser Lockin

Abstract

We have demonstrated simultaneous laser frequency stabilization of a UV and IR laser, to the same spectroscopic sample, by monitoring only the absorption of the UV laser. For trapping and cooling Yb$^{+}$ ions, a frequency stabilized laser is required at 369.95nm to drive the $^{2}S_{1/2}$ $ \rightarrow $ $ ^{2}P_{1/2}$ cooling transition. Since the cycle is not closed, a 935.18nm laser is needed to drive the $^{2}D_{3/2}$ $\rightarrow$ $^{3}D_{[3/2]1/2}$ transition which is followed by rapid decay to the $^{2}S_{1/2}$ state. Our 369nm laser is locked to Yb$^{+}$ ions generated in a hollow cathode discharge lamp using saturated absorption spectroscopy. Without pumping, the metastable $^{2}D_{3/2}$ level is only sparsely populated and direct absorption of 935nm light is difficult to detect. A resonant 369nm laser is able to significantly populate the $^{2}D_{3/2}$ state due to the coupling between the levels. Fast re-pumping to the $^{2}S_{1/2}$ state, by 935nm light, can be detected by observing the change in absorption of the 369nm laser using lock-in detection of the photodiode signal. In this way simultaneous locking of two optical frequencies in very different spectral regimes is accomplished. A rate equation model gives good qualitative agreement with the experimental results. This technique offers improved laser frequency stabilization compared to lasers locked individually to the sample and should be readily applicable to similar ion systems.