Frequency stability characterization of a broadband fiber Fabry-Pérot interferometer

Precision Doppler shift measurements with a frequency comb calibrated laser heterodyne radiometer

We report precision atmospheric spectroscopy of CO2 using a laser heterodyne radiometer (LHR) calibrated with an optical frequency comb. Using the comb calibrated LHR, we record spectra of atmospheric CO2 near 1572.33 nm with a spectral resolution of 200 MHz, using sunlight as a light source. The measured CO2 spectra exhibit frequency shifts by approximately 11 MHz over the course of the 5-h measurement, and we show that these shifts are caused by Doppler effects due to wind along the spectrometer line of sight. The measured frequency shifts are in excellent agreement with an atmospheric model, and we show that our measurements track the wind-induced Doppler shifts with a relative frequency precision of 2 MHz (3 m·s-1) for a single 10 s measurement, improving to 100 kHz (15 cm·s-1) after averaging (equivalent to a fractional precision of a few parts in 1010). These results demonstrate that frequency comb calibrated LHR enables precision velocimetry that can be of use in applications ranging from climate science to astronomy.

Design and characterization of a thermally stabilized fiber Fabry-Perot etalon as a wavelength calibrator for high-precision spectroscopy

Filtering light from a broadband source with a Fabry-Perot etalon generates comb-like peaks in the spectral domain that can serve as calibration reference for precise Doppler shift detection on astronomical spectrographs. Fiber Fabry-Perot etalons are small in size and easily aligned optically. In application, high thermal sensitivity of the fiber core material requires a highly stable temperature control system. Here, we report on the design, characterization, and thermal performance of a fiber Fabry-Perot etalon-based calibrator system insensitive to environmental temperature perturbation, aimed as a reference for m⋅s^-1 precision radial velocity measurements. A fast and simple method to estimate the etalon finesse and a dual-loop approach to achieve sub-millikelvin temperature fluctuation are proposed and demonstrated.

Broadband Stability of the Habitable Zone Planet Finder Fabry-Pérot Etalon Calibration System: Evidence for Chromatic Variation

The comblike spectrum of a white light-illuminated Fabry-Pérot etalon can serve as a cost-effective and stable reference for precise Doppler measurements. Understanding the stability of these devices across their broad (hundreds of nanometers) spectral bandwidths is essential to realizing their full potential as Doppler calibrators. However, published descriptions remain limited to small bandwidths or short time spans. We present an ~6 month broadband stability monitoring campaign of the Fabry-Pérot etalon system deployed with the near-infrared Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF) spectrograph. We monitor the wavelengths of each of ~3500 resonant modes measured in HPF spectra of this Fabry-Pérot etalon (free spectral range = 30 GHz, bandwidth = 820-1280 nm), leveraging the accuracy and precision of an electro-optic frequency comb reference. These results reveal chromatic structure in the Fabry-Pérot mode locations and their evolution with time. We measure an average drift on the order of 2 cm s-1 day-1, with local departures up to ±5 cm s-1 day-1. We discuss these behaviors in the context of the Fabry-Pérot etalon mirror dispersion and other optical properties of the system and the implications for the use of similar systems for precise Doppler measurements. Our results show that this system supports the wavelength calibration of HPF at the ≲10 cm s-1 level over a night and the ≲30 cm s-1 level over ~10 days. Our results also highlight the need for long-term and spectrally resolved study of similar systems that will be deployed to support Doppler measurement precision approaching ~10 cm s-1.

Alternative Uses for Quantum Systems and Devices

Quantum optical systems and devices were analyzed to verify theories both predicting new particles on flat spacetime, and for the verification of Planck-scale physics for cosmological investigation.