Portable Frequency Stabilized Lasers for Quantum Technologies Using Digital Techniques

Quantum atomic technologies such as optical clocks and atom interferometers have demonstrated their potential in laboratory settings, however their widespread deployment for real-world applications requires significant improvement in their Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C). We have fabricated compact laser avionics suitable for laser cooling and spectroscopy applications. The system employs a commercial laser diode, fibre-coupled optics, current and temperature controllers, analogue-to-digital converters, all-digital signal processing, and operates on a single 5V power supply. Using these components, a 780nm laser has been stabilised to the Rb D2 transition via FM spectroscopy, with a SWaP budget of 1 L, 300 g, less than 10W. Due to its modular design and digital re-programmability, the low-SWaP-C system developed here can be applied to devices across the quantum technology sector.