Stabilization of $866$ nm laser with Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) technique for quantum manipulation of Ca+ ion in Paul trap

TL;DR

This paper details the development and implementation of a laser stabilization system at 866 nm using the Pound-Drever-Hall technique, crucial for quantum manipulation of Ca+ ions in a Paul trap.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive guide to building a PDH stabilization setup from scratch, including theory, noise mitigation, and detailed equipment descriptions.

Findings

Achieved stable laser locking at 866 nm

Identified and mitigated major noise sources

Demonstrated effective laser stabilization for quantum experiments

Abstract

This article provides an introduction to one of the most efficient laser stabilization techniques - the Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) method. The aim of the experiment is to build the PDH stabilization apparatus from scratch. I describe all the necessary theoretical treatment to formulate the technique and then describe it as I have experimentally implemented in the lab. All major sources of noise are discussed and noise tackling methods are implemented. All the equipments used are also described in detail for their principle and working.