arXiv subjects

Xiaolei Guan

Publications and source records attributed to Xiaolei Guan.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Velocity-comb modulation transfer spectroscopy

Sub-Doppler laser spectroscopy is a crucial technique for laser frequency stabilization, playing a significant role in atomic physics, precision measurement, and quantum communication. However, recent efforts to improve frequency stability appear to have reached a bottleneck, as they primarily focus on external technical approaches while neglecting the fundamental issue of low atomic utilization (< 1%), caused by only near-zero transverse velocity atoms involved in the transition. Here, we propose a velocity-comb modulation transfer spectroscopy (MTS) solution that takes advantage of the velocity-selective resonance effect of multi-frequency comb lasers to enhance the utilization of non-zero-velocity atoms. In the probe-pump configuration, each pair of counter-propagating lasers interacts with atoms from different transverse velocity-comb groups, independently contributing to the spectral amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio. Preliminary proof-of-principle results show that the frequency stability of the triple-frequency laser is optimized by nearly a factor of \sqrt{3} compared to the single-frequency laser, consistent with theoretical expectations. With more frequency comb components, MTS-stabilized lasers are expected to achieve order-of-magnitude breakthroughs in frequency stability, taking an important step toward next-generation compact optical clocks. This unique method can also be widely applied to any quantum system with a wide velocity distribution, inspiring innovative advances in numerous fields with a fresh perspective.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

Faraday laser pumped cesium beam clock

We realize a high-performance compact optically pumped cesium beam clock using Faraday laser simultaneously as pumping and detection lasers. The Faraday laser, which is frequency stabilized by modulation transfer spectroscopy (MTS) technique, has narrow linewidth and superior frequency stability. Measured by optical heterodyne method between two identical systems, the linewidth of the Faraday laser is 2.5 kHz after MTS locking, and the fractional frequency stability of the Faraday laser is optimized to $1.8\times{10}^{-12}/\sqrtτ$. Based on this high-performance Faraday laser, the cesium beam clock realizes a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in 1 Hz bandwidth of $39600$ when the cesium oven temperature is 130°C. Frequency-compared with Hydrogen maser, the fractional frequency stability of the Faraday laser pumped cesium beam clock can reach $1.3\times{10}^{-12}/\sqrtτ$ and drops to $1.4\times{10}^{-14}$ at 10000 s when the cesium oven temperature is 110°C. %, which is the best reported result compared with other cesium beam clocks. This Faraday laser pumped cesium beam clock demonstrates its excellent performance, and its great potential in the fields of timekeeping, navigation, and communication. Meanwhile, the Faraday laser, as a high-performance optical frequency standard, can also contribute to the development of other applications in quantum metrology, precision measurement and atomic physics.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

A corner-cube-feedback Faraday laser with 8 kHz linewidth

A single-mode Cs atom 852 nm Faraday laser based on the corner cube feedback is demonstrated, and termed as corner-cube-feedback Faraday laser. Using the corner-cube retroreflector as external cavity feedback element in Faraday laser, mechanical robustness can be greatly improved due to the precise reflection of the incident light beam back to its original direction. This Faraday laser can achieve laser oscillation at a large angle, which between the incident light and the optical axis of corner cube, ranging from +3° to -3°. The most probable linewidth is 8 kHz measured by heterodyne beating with two identical lasers. Moreover, its output frequency remains close to the Cs atomic Doppler-broadened transition line, even though the diode current changes from 55 mA to 155 mA and the diode working temperature varies from 11.8 to 37.2 degrees Celsius. The corner-cube-feedback Faraday laser with high mechanical robustness as well as narrow linewidth can be widely used in quantum precision measurement, such as atomic clocks, atomic gravimeters, and atomic magnetometers, etc.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

A Voigt laser operating on $^{87}$Rb 780 nm transition

We report the development of laser systems -- a "Voigt laser" -- using a Voigt anomalous dispersion optical filter as the frequency-selective element, working at the wavelength of 780 nm of $^{87}$Rb-D2 resonance line. Compared with Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filter, the Voigt anomalous dispersion optical filter can generate a stronger and more uniform magnetic field with a compact size of magnet, and obtains a transmission spectrum with narrower linewidth and more stable lineprofile. In this case, the frequency stability of the Voigt laser reaches 5$\times$10$^{-9}$ at the averaging time of 200 s, and the wavelength fluctuation of 8-hours free operation is $\pm$0.1 pm. Besides, the Voigt laser has greater immunity to diode current than the Faraday laser, with a wavelength fluctuation of $\pm$0.5 pm in the current range from 73 mA to 150 mA. Finally, the Voigt laser frequency can be controlled by the cell temperature of the Voigt optical filter, which is expected to achieve a frequency detuning of 20 GHz. Consequently, the Voigt laser, whose frequency could correspond to the atomic transition frequency by tuning the cell temperature, obtains good robustness to the current and temperature fluctuation of laser diode, and could realize a compact optical standard for precise measurement once stabilized by modulation transfer spectroscopy.

physics.optics↗