Frequency Stabilization of Semiconductor Lasers
Precise clocks play a very important role in physics, a well known example is the so-called “atomic clock”, which is based on locking an oscillator to the emission of Cs atoms (this clock defines the unit of time). However, these devices are very bulky, they fill a small laboratory. Thus, there is a demand for compact, portable precision clocks.
Stabilized semiconductor lasers are a promising approach, and short time stabilization of 1 part in 1012 has been demonstrated recently by Rufus Cone’s group in Montana.
In this project, the student will conduct fundamental research to improve the long-term stability of a semiconductor laser by locking it to an infrared transition of an impurity ion in a glassy host.