Two-beam nonlinear Kerr effect to stabilize laser frequency with sub-Doppler resolution

Abstract

Avoiding laser frequency drifts is a key issue in many atomic physics experiments. Several techniques have been developed to lock the laser frequency using sub-Doppler dispersive atomic lineshapes as error signals in a feedback loop. We propose here a two-beam technique that uses non-linear properties of an atomic vapor around sharp resonances to produce sub-Doppler dispersive-like lineshapes that can be used as error signals. Our simple and robust technique has the advantage of not needing either modulation or magnetic fields.