Stabilized Laser Source Is Key to Interferogram

A researcher from CSO Mesure in Grenoble, France, has produced a high-frequency laser source that could prove useful in next-generation interferometric spectrometers.
Developed as part of a project to take metrology readings from space, CSO's laser had to meet a number of specified requirements. The laser had to have optical compatibility with a Michelson interferometer operating within the 3.6- to 15.5-µm wavelength range, and it required high stability for operating in space.
The resulting diode laser, emitting at 1537.6 nm, exhibited short-term wavelength stability (few minutes) of ±3 3 10²¹⁰ and long-term wavelength stability (2000 hours) of ±6 3 10²⁸. It also featured power consumption less than 5.5 W.