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S. Hannig

Publications and source records attributed to S. Hannig.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Robust watt-level continuous-wave deep-ultraviolet lasers near 230 nm

Continuous-wave (CW) deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lasers near 230~nm enable laser cooling of AlF, Cd, and Zn, but second-harmonic generation below 237~nm relies in practice on beta-barium borate (BBO), whose walk-off and UV-induced degradation hinder sustained operation. We demonstrate compact, affordable VECSEL-based systems informed by four years of operating 14 DUV cavities in 12 laser systems across six European laboratories. External LBO cavities produce nearly 4~W at 463~nm with 94% cavity efficiency. We compare spherically and elliptically focused Brewster-cut BBO cavities with a normal-incidence AR-coated design. The AR-coated cavity delivers the highest power and efficiency, reaching 1.0~W at 51% cavity and 44% external efficiency; the spherical Brewster cavity reaches 700~mW and maintains constant circulating power over 70~h, while elliptical focusing reduces peak intensity sixfold and improves beam quality, albeit with greater alignment sensitivity. Collaboration-designed DUV optics, AlF spectroscopy, and Cd trapping validate the system.

physics.atom-ph

A stable 2 W continuous-wave 261.5 nm laser for cooling and trapping aluminum monochloride

We present a high-power tunable deep-ultraviolet (DUV) laser that uses two consecutive cavity enhanced doubling stages with LBO and CLBO crystals to produce the fourth harmonic of an amplified homebuilt external cavity diode laser. The system generates up to 2.75 W of 261.5 nm laser light with a ~2 W stable steady-state output power and performs second harmonic generation in a largely unexplored high intensity regime in CLBO for continuous wave DUV light. We use this laser to perform fluorescence spectroscopy on the $X^1Σ\leftarrow A^1Π$ transition in a cold, slow beam of AlCl molecules and probe the $A^{1} Π|v'=0,~J'=1>$ state hyperfine structure for future laser cooling and trapping experiments. This work demonstrates that the production of tunable, watt-level DUV lasers is becoming routine for a variety of wavelength-specific applications in atomic, molecular and optical physics.

physics.optics

Towards a Transportable Aluminium Ion Quantum Logic Optical Clock

With the advent of optical clocks featuring fractional frequency uncertainties on the order of $10^{-17}$ and below, new applications such as chronometric levelling with few-cm height resolution emerge. We are developing a transportable optical clock based on a single trapped aluminium ion, which is interrogated via quantum logic spectroscopy. We employ singly-charged calcium as the logic ion for sympathetic cooling, state preparation and readout. Here we present a simple and compact physics and laser package for manipulation of $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}^+$. Important features are a segmented multi-layer trap with separate loading and probing zones, a compact titanium vacuum chamber, a near-diffraction-limited imaging system with high numerical aperture based on a single biaspheric lens, and an all-in-fiber $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}^+$ repump laser system. We present preliminary estimates of the trap-induced frequency shifts on $^{27}\mathrm{Al}^+$, derived from measurements with a single calcium ion. The micromotion-induced second-order Doppler shift for $^{27}\mathrm{Al}^+$ has been determined to be \sods and the black-body radiation shift is $δν_\mathrm{BBR}/ν=(-4.0\pm0.4)\times10^{-18}$. Moreover, heating rates of 30 (7) quanta per second at trap frequencies of $ω_\mathrm{rad,Ca+} \approx2π\times2.5\,\mathrm{MHz}$ ($ω_\mathrm{ax,Ca+} \approx2π\times1.5\,\mathrm{MHz}$) in radial (axial) direction have been measured, enabling interrogation times of a few hundreds of milliseconds.

physics.atom-ph

A highly stable monolithic enhancement cavity for SHG generation in the UV

We present a highly stable bow-tie power enhancement cavity for critical second-harmonic generation into the UV using a Brewster-cut $β$-BaB$_2$O$_4$ (BBO) nonlinear crystal. The cavity geometry is suitable for all UV wavelengths reachable with BBO and can be modified to accommodate anti-reflection coated crystals, extending its applicability to the entire wavelength range accessible with non-linear frequency conversion. The cavity is length-stabilized using a fast general purpose digital PI controller based on the open source STEMlab 125-14 (formerly Red Pitaya) system acting on a mirror mounted on a fast piezo actuator. We observe $130\,\mathrm{h}$ uninterrupted operation without decay in output power at $313\,\mathrm{nm}$. The robustness of the system has been confirmed by exposing it to accelerations of up to $1\,\mathrm{g}$ with less than $10\%$ in-lock output power variations. Furthermore, the cavity can withstand 30~minutes of acceleration exposure at a level of $3\,\mathrm{g}_\mathrm{rms}$ without substantial change in SHG output power, demonstrating that the design is suitable for transportable setups.

physics.ins-det