Microresonator-stabilized extended cavity diode laser for supercavity frequency stabilization

Abstract

We demonstrate a simple, compact, and cost-effective laser noise reduction method for stabilizing an extended cavity diode laser to a 3x105 finesse mirror Fabry-Pérot (F-P) cavity corresponding to resonance linewidth of 10 kHz using a crystalline MgF2 whispering gallery mode microresonator (WGMR). The laser linewidth is reduced to sub-kHz such that a stable Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) error signal is built up. The wavelength of the pre-stabilized laser is tunable within a large bandwidth covering the high reflection mirror coating of a F-P supercavity.