A fibered laser system for the MIGA large scale atom interferometer

D. O. Sabulsky; J. Junca; G. Lefèvre; X. Zou; A. Bertoldi; B. Battelier; M. Prevedelli; G. Stern; J. Santoire; Q. Beaufils; R. Geiger; A. Landragin; B. Desruelle; P. Bouyer; B. Canuel

arXiv · 1911.12209

A fibered laser system for the MIGA large scale atom interferometer

D. O. Sabulsky·J. Junca·G. Lefèvre·X. Zou·A. Bertoldi·B. Battelier·M. Prevedelli·G. Stern·J. Santoire·Q. Beaufils·R. Geiger·A. Landragin·B. Desruelle·P. Bouyer·B. Canuel

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We describe the realization and characterization of a compact, autonomous fiber laser system that produces the optical frequencies required for laser cooling, trapping, manipulation, and detection of $^{87}$Rb atoms - a typical atomic species for emerging quantum technologies. This device, a customized laser system from the Muquans company, is designed for use in the challenging operating environment of the Laboratoire Souterrain \`{a} Bas Bruit (LSBB) in France, where a new large scale atom interferometer is being constructed underground - the MIGA antenna. The mobile bench comprises four frequency-agile C-band Telecom diode lasers that are frequency doubled to 780 nm after passing through high-power fiber amplifiers. The first laser is frequency stabilized on a saturated absorption signal via lock-in amplification, which serves as an optical frequency reference for the other three lasers via optical phase-locked loops. Power and polarization stability are maintained through a series of custom, flexible micro-optic splitter/combiners that contain polarization optics, acousto-optic modulators, and shutters. Here, we show how the laser system is designed, showcasing qualities such as reliability, stability, remote control, and flexibility, while maintaining the qualities of laboratory equipment. We characterize the laser system by measuring the power, polarization, and frequency stability. We conclude with a demonstration using a cold atom source from the MIGA project and show that this laser system fulfills all requirements for the realization of the antenna.

Explore related subjects

physics.atom-ph physics.ins-det

Keep this discovery

BibTeX RIS

D. O. Sabulsky, J. Junca, G. Lefèvre, X. Zou, A. Bertoldi, B. Battelier, M. Prevedelli, G. Stern, J. Santoire, Q. Beaufils, R. Geiger, A. Landragin, B. Desruelle, P. Bouyer, B. Canuel. 2019-11-27. A fibered laser system for the MIGA large scale atom interferometer. https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.12209

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Delay-engineered dynamical phases in a programmable non-Markovian spin oscillator

Non-Markovian dynamics offer a new route towards engineering non-equilibrium matter, where memory and feedback act as programmable resources for controlling order in time. Here we report the realization of a non-Markovian spin oscillator in a hot vapour $^{129}$Xe-Cs co-magnetometer with programmable feedback delay and gain. By tuning these parameters, we observe a hierarchy of dynamical phases, including time-crystalline response, nonlinear bifurcations, and frequency-comb formation. The measured spectra and phase boundaries are captured by linear stability analysis of delayed Bloch equations, revealing these phenomena as different manifestations of the same memory-induced instability structure. These results establish time-delayed feedback as a powerful strategy for controlling non-equilibrium phases, enabling quantum sensing, frequency referencing, and synchronization within a single spin-based platform.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2026

Non-stick vacuum wall collisions with a laser-coolable molecule

Molecular species that are suitable for direct laser cooling are typically considered lost or destroyed if they collide with an ambient temperature vacuum wall. Here, we study surface collisions with aluminum monofluoride (AlF), a laser-coolable molecule that survives this process with unusually high probability. We detect the outgoing AlF molecules from a single wall collision via Doppler-sensitive laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, using incoming supersonic (pulsed) and thermochemical (continuous) molecular beams. The angular, velocity and rovibrational level distributions of the outgoing molecules show near-complete thermalisation to the wall in a single collision event. We determine an upper limit to the surface residence time of about 5$~\mu$s, and by monitoring the decay in density of pulses of molecules loaded into a small storage volume, we deduce the surface sticking probability for different materials. For a siloxane-coated metallic surface, the sticking probability of AlF is about 0.015, allowing us to accumulate molecules from the thermochemical source into an ambient temperature storage vessel at densities near $10^{8}~$cm$^{-3}$. This provides a route to compact, portable traps for neutral molecules.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2026

Kinetic modeling of molecular beam formation in a cryogenic buffer-gas cell

Cryogenic buffer-gas cells are widely used to produce cold molecular beams, but the microscopic dynamics governing beam formation remain challenging to model. Here we present fully kinetic simulations of a cryogenic buffer-gas cell using the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method implemented in the PICLas framework, treating the buffer gas and ablated molecules within a single unified model. We capture characteristic features of cryogenic buffer-gas sources, including plume cooling, directed transport toward the aperture, and the formation of a slow molecular beam, while also resolving energy transfer from the hot ablation plume to the helium buffer gas that is inaccessible to existing approaches relying on the background-gas approximation. Our results demonstrate that fully kinetic simulations can provide detailed insights into buffer-gas cell dynamics and open a route toward a systematic optimization of such sources.

physics.atom-ph↗