Acetylene-based frequency stabilization of a laser system for potassium laser cooling

TL;DR

This paper presents a laser frequency stabilization method using acetylene molecular lines for potassium laser cooling, enabling precise control of cooling transitions and successful implementation in a magneto-optical trap system.

Contribution

It introduces a novel stabilization technique based on saturated absorption spectroscopy in the C-Band, specifically tailored for potassium laser cooling applications.

Findings

Identified and characterized molecular lines suitable for potassium D-line transitions.

Achieved stable laser cooling of $^{41}$K atoms in a MOT setup.

Demonstrated effective frequency stabilization using acetylene lines.

Abstract

We demonstrate a laser frequency stabilization technique for laser cooling of Potassium atoms, based on saturated absorption spectroscopy in the C-Band optical telecommunication window, using ro-vibrationel transitions of the acetylene molecule ($12$C$_2$H$_2$). We identified and characterized several molecular lines, which allow to address each of the potassium D2 (767 nm) and D1 (770 nm) cooling transitions, thanks to a high-power second harmonic generation (SHG) stage. We successfully used this laser system to cool the $^{41}$K isotope of potassium in a 2D-3D Magneto-Optical Traps setup.