Frequency comb assisted two-photon vibrational spectroscopy.

We report a setup for high-resolution two-photon spectroscopy using a mid-infrared continuous wave optical parametric oscillator (CW-OPO) and a near-infrared diode laser as the excitation sources, both of which are locked to fully stabilized optical frequency combs. The diode laser is directly locked to a commercial near-infrared optical frequency comb using an optical phase-locked loop. The near-infrared frequency comb is also used to synchronously pump a degenerate femtosecond optical parametric oscillator to produce a fully stabilized mid-infrared frequency comb. The beat frequency between the mid-infrared comb and the CW-OPO is then stabilized through frequency locking. We used the setup to measure a double resonant two-photon transition to a symmetric vibrational state of acetylene with a sub-Doppler resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio.

[1]  Lauri Halonen,et al.  Pump-tunable continuous-wave singly resonant optical parametric oscillator from 2.5 to 4.4 microm. , 2010, Optics express.

[2]  D. Romanini,et al.  CW cavity ring down spectroscopy , 1997 .

[3]  H. K. Holt Frequency-Correlation Effects in Cascade Transitions Involving Stimulated Emission , 1967 .

[4]  Michal Lipson,et al.  Silicon-chip mid-infrared frequency comb generation , 2014, Nature Communications.

[5]  P. Tremblay,et al.  Frequency locking of a 1324 nm DFB laser to an optically pumped rubidium vapor , 1993 .

[6]  J. Faist,et al.  Mid-infrared frequency comb based on a quantum cascade laser , 2012, Nature.

[7]  Hall,et al.  Carrier-envelope phase control of femtosecond mode-locked lasers and direct optical frequency synthesis , 2000, Science.

[8]  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.

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

[10]  Konstantin L. Vodopyanov,et al.  Self-phase-locked divide-by-2 optical parametric oscillator as a broadband frequency comb source , 2009, LASE.

[11]  D. Bermejo,et al.  High resolution stimulated Raman spectroscopy from collisionally populated states after optical pumping: the 3ν2←2ν2 and ν2+2ν4+ν5←2ν4+ν5 Q branches of 12C2H2 and the 3ν2←2ν2 Q branch of 12C2D2. , 2017 .

[12]  M. Misono,et al.  The Doppler-free two-photon absorption spectroscopy of naphthalene with Zeeman effects , 2002 .

[13]  Markku Vainio,et al.  Fully stabilized mid-infrared frequency comb for high-precision molecular spectroscopy. , 2017, Optics express.

[14]  J. E. Bjorkholm,et al.  Erratum: Line shape and strength of two-photon absorption in an atomic vapor with a resonant or nearly resonant intermediate state , 1976 .

[15]  P. Maddaloni,et al.  Sub-kilohertz linewidth narrowing of a mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator idler frequency by direct cavity stabilization. , 2015, Optics letters.

[16]  Konstantin L. Vodopyanov,et al.  Broadband degenerate OPO for mid-infrared frequency comb generation. , 2011, Optics express.

[17]  S. Wong,et al.  Self-phase-locked divide-by-2 optical parametric oscillator as a broadband frequency comb source , 2009, LASE.

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

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

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

[21]  A. Nishiyama,et al.  Doppler-free two-photon absorption spectroscopy of rovibronic transition of naphthalene calibrated with an optical frequency comb , 2015 .

[22]  S. Borri,et al.  Subkilohertz linewidth room-temperature mid-infrared quantum cascade laser using a molecular sub-Doppler reference. , 2012, Optics letters.

[23]  K. Minoshima,et al.  Doppler-free dual-comb spectroscopy of Rb using optical-optical double resonance technique. , 2016, Optics express.

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

[25]  C. Braxmaier,et al.  High-resolution Doppler-free molecular spectroscopy with a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator. , 2001, Optics letters.

[26]  C. Rhodes,et al.  Observation of doppler-free two-photon absorption in the. nu. /sub 3/ bands of CH/sub 3/F. [CO/sub 2/ laser excitation] , 1975 .

[27]  Jun Ye,et al.  Colloquium: Femtosecond optical frequency combs , 2003 .

[28]  J. E. Bjorkholm,et al.  Resonant Enhancement of Two-Photon Absorption in Sodium Vapor , 1974 .

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

[30]  M. Vainio,et al.  Experimental observation and analysis of the 3ν(1)(Σ(g)) stretching vibrational state of acetylene using continuous-wave infrared stimulated emission. , 2013, The Journal of chemical physics.

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

[32]  M. Vainio,et al.  Double resonant absorption measurement of acetylene symmetric vibrational states probed with cavity ring down spectroscopy. , 2016, The Journal of chemical physics.

[33]  T. Hänsch,et al.  Optical frequency metrology , 2002, Nature.

[34]  Mikko Merimaa,et al.  Frequency-comb-referenced mid-infrared source for high-precision spectroscopy. , 2014, Optics express.

[35]  Lauri Halonen,et al.  High-power mid-infrared frequency comb from a continuous-wave-pumped bulk optical parametric oscillator. , 2014, Optics express.

[36]  M. Vainio,et al.  Mid-infrared optical parametric oscillators and frequency combs for molecular spectroscopy. , 2016, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[37]  William E. Blass,et al.  An infrared study of the bending region of acetylene , 1991 .

[38]  Laurence S. Rothman,et al.  The IR acetylene spectrum in HITRAN: update and new results , 2003 .

[39]  G. Giusfredi,et al.  Mid-infrared frequency comb for broadband high precision and sensitivity molecular spectroscopy. , 2014, Optics letters.