High-Power, Narrow Linewidth Laser Sources for Alkali Atoms

The purpose of this proposal is to produce high-power, narrow-linewidth (~1 MHz or less), robust, turn-key laser sources that will meet the requirements of emerging cold-atom engineering applications. The focus of this effort will be on developing “path-to-power” techniques for wavelength-flexible laser architectures. The goal is to both both i) increase the power of wavelength flexible laser architectures and ii) maintain a single spatial mode during high-power operation to ensure long-term fiber-coupling stability. In this phase I we will explore and assess the feasibility of two complimentary techniques. First, in close collaboration with Photodigm, a Dallas Texas based diode foundry, we will explore single-spatial mode tapered laser (TL) and master oscillator power amplifer (MOPA) structures to realize output powers of 400 mW or more. Notably, this approach will be directly applicable to all future DBR wavelengths. Second, we will explore several different phase-locking techniques to coherently combine lower power chip-external-cavity-lasers (CECLs) to “sum-up” to higher powers. Both of these approaches may be combined with frequency doubling (FD) to realize greater wavelength flexibility.