We present a standalone frequency-offset locking system for controlling narrow-linewidth lasers using off-the-shelf electronic components. We lock two frequency-doubled 1560 nm lasers to a stable primary laser operating at 780 nm via their optical beat note. This radio frequency beat note is fed through a broadband variable divider, a frequency-to-voltage converter, and a proportional-integral controller to lock each follower laser to a tunable offset frequency relative to the primary. This architecture provides a large capture range (>1 GHz), fast response times (<1 ms), and high linearity. We achieve a frequency resolution of 1.9 kHz and a short-term fractional frequency instability of 10-11/τ(s) at 780 nm without the need for a dedicated, precise clock reference. We perform high-resolution spectroscopy of cold 87Rb atoms to demonstrate the tunability and precision of our locking system. We designed the system to be modular and extensible, making it applicable to a wide variety of atomic physics experiments, including laser cooling, spectroscopy, and quantum sensing with atoms, ions, and molecules.
Shalaby et al. (Sun,) studied this question.