Autonomous frequency stabilization of two extended-cavity diode lasers at the potassium wavelength on a sounding rocket

We have developed, assembled, and flight-proven a stable, compact, and autonomous extended-cavity diode laser (ECDL) system designed for atomic physics experiments in space. To that end, two microintegrated ECDLs at 766.7 nm were frequency stabilized during a sounding rocket flight by means of frequency modulation spectroscopy of K39 and offset locking techniques based on the beat note of the two ECDLs. The frequency stabilization as well as additional hardware and software to test hot redundancy mechanisms were implemented as part of a state machine, which controlled the experiment completely autonomously throughout the entire flight mission.