Frequency-comb-referenced mid-infrared source for high-precision spectroscopy.

We report on a tunable continuous-wave mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator (OPO), which is locked to a fully stabilized near-infrared optical frequency comb using a frequency doubling scheme. The OPO is used for 40 GHz mode-hop-free, frequency-comb-locked scans in the wavelength region between 2.7 and 3.4 μm. We demonstrate the applicability of the method to high-precision cavity-ring-down spectroscopy of nitrous oxide (N2O) and water (H2O) at 2.85 µm and of methane (CH4) at 3.2 μm.

[1]  Stephan Schlemmer,et al.  Frequency comb assisted mid-infrared spectroscopy of cold molecular ions. , 2012, The Review of scientific instruments.

[2]  Erik Benkler,et al.  Endless frequency shifting of optical frequency comb lines. , 2013, Optics express.

[3]  M. Vainio,et al.  Off-axis re-entrant cavity ring-down spectroscopy with a mid-infrared continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator , 2012 .

[4]  T. Fordell,et al.  Frequency-comb-referenced tunable diode laser spectroscopy and laser stabilization applied to laser cooling. , 2014, Applied optics.

[5]  Feng-Lei Hong,et al.  Absolute frequency measurement of sub-Doppler molecular lines using a 3.4-μm difference-frequency-generation spectrometer and a fiber-based frequency comb , 2009 .

[6]  P. Natale,et al.  Frequency-comb-based absolute frequency measurements in the mid-infrared with a difference-frequency spectrometer. , 2005, Optics letters.

[7]  Albert Schliesser,et al.  Mid-infrared frequency combs , 2012, Nature Photonics.

[8]  L. Halonen,et al.  Laser-locked, high-repetition-rate cavity ringdown spectrometer , 2006 .

[9]  A Peters,et al.  Combination of a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator and a femtosecond frequency comb for optical frequency metrology. , 2005, Optics letters.

[10]  M. Merimaa,et al.  Precision spectroscopy of acetylene transitions using an optical frequency synthesizer. , 2009, Optics letters.

[11]  Absolute spectroscopy of N2O near 4.5 μm with a comb-calibrated, frequency-swept quantum cascade laser spectrometer. , 2013, Optics express.

[12]  G. Berden,et al.  Cavity ring-down spectroscopy: Experimental schemes and applications , 2000 .

[13]  Scott A. Diddams,et al.  Molecular fingerprinting with the resolved modes of a femtosecond laser frequency comb , 2007, Nature.

[14]  Thomas Udem,et al.  Optical clockwork with an offset-free difference-frequency comb: accuracy of sum- and difference-frequency generation. , 2004, Optics letters.

[15]  P. Masłowski,et al.  Spectral line shapes of self-broadened P-branch transitions of oxygen B band , 2014 .

[16]  P. Maddaloni,et al.  Frequency-comb-referenced singly-resonant OPO for sub-Doppler spectroscopy. , 2012, Optics express.

[17]  Stefan Persijn,et al.  Singly resonant cw OPO with simple wavelength tuning. , 2008, Optics express.

[18]  Laurence S. Rothman,et al.  Reprint of: The HITRAN molecular spectroscopic database and HAWKS (HITRAN Atmospheric Workstation): 1996 edition , 1998 .

[19]  Jun Ye,et al.  Cavity-enhanced direct frequency comb spectroscopy: technology and applications. , 2010, Annual review of analytical chemistry.

[20]  P. Maddaloni,et al.  Mid-infrared fibre-based optical comb , 2006 .

[21]  Manijeh Razeghi,et al.  Room temperature continuous wave operation of λ ∼ 3–3.2 μm quantum cascade lasers , 2012 .

[22]  Ingmar Hartl,et al.  Coherent phase lock of a 9 μm quantum cascade laser to a 2 μm thulium optical frequency comb. , 2012, Optics letters.

[23]  Simone Borri,et al.  Frequency-comb-referenced mid-IR sources for next-generation environmental sensors , 2011 .

[24]  Mikko Merimaa,et al.  Frequency-comb-referenced molecular spectroscopy in the mid-infrared region. , 2011, Optics letters.

[25]  S. Borri,et al.  Frequency-comb-referenced quantum-cascade laser at 4.4 microm. , 2007, Optics letters.

[26]  Jun Ye,et al.  Phase-stabilized, 1.5 W frequency comb at 2.8-4.8 microm. , 2009, Optics letters.

[27]  Knight,et al.  Optical frequency synthesizer for precision spectroscopy , 2000, Physical review letters.

[28]  Ingmar Hartl,et al.  Octave-spanning ultrafast OPO with 2.6-6.1 µm instantaneous bandwidth pumped by femtosecond Tm-fiber laser. , 2012, Optics express.

[29]  M. Fejer,et al.  Stability of the singly resonant optical parametric oscillator , 2010 .