Low cost fast frequency switching driver for Acousto-Optic Modulators used in laser cooling

Aniket Bhandare, Abhishek Patnaik, David Pommerenke, Sachin Sharma, Daniel Fischer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In many laser atom cooling experiments, Acousto-Optic Modulators (AOM) are used to modulate a laser beam frequency close to an electronic resonance of the atoms. Commercially available RF drivers for the AOMs tend to be expensive ($2k and above) and can also require supplementary equipment such as power supplies and amplifiers. This article presents a low cost, compact, re-configurable, and portable modulator driver system. This system can switch between two frequencies within a period of few hundreds of ns, while giving the user complete control over the frequency range and output power up to about 2 W. This fast switching allows to toggle a laser beam between two optical fibers which could be used for cooling, imaging, or optical pumping of the laser-cooled atoms.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere00054
JournalHardwareX
Volume5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Acousto-Optic Modulator (AOM) Driver system
  • Doppler cooling
  • RF modulation system

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Instrumentation
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

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