Active control of a diode laser with injection locking

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, cost-effective active stabilization method for diode lasers using injection locking, enhancing spectral purity and stability with minimal user intervention, suitable for compact optical systems.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel active stabilization technique for diode lasers that does not require bulky devices, improving spectral purity and stability in a simple, cost-effective manner.

Findings

Achieved high spectral purity and low noise in diode lasers

Demonstrated effective stabilization without bulky equipment

Applicable to quantum gas experiments and integrated systems

Abstract

We present a simple and effective method to implement an active stabilization of a diode laser with injection locking, which requires minimal user intervenes. The injection locked state of the diode laser is probed by a photodetector, of which sensitivity is enhanced by a narrow laser-line filter. Taking advantage of the characteristic response of laser power to spectral modes from the narrow laser-line filter, we demonstrate that high spectral purity and low intensity noise of the diode can be simultaneously maintained by an active feedback to the injected laser. Our method is intrinsically cost-effective, and does not require bulky devices, such as Fabry-Perot interferometers or wavemeters, to actively stabilize the diode laser. Based on successful implementation of this method in our quantum gas experiments, it is conceivable that our active stabilization will greatly simplify potential applications of injection locking of diode lasers in modularized or integrated optical systems.