Acetylene-based frequency stabilization of a laser system for potassium laser cooling

Abstract

We demonstrate a laser frequency stabilization technique for laser cooling of Potassium atoms, based on saturated absorption spectroscopy in the C-Band optical telecommunication window, using ro-vibrationel transitions of the acetylene molecule ($12$C$_2$H$_2$). We identified and characterized several molecular lines, which allow to address each of the potassium D2 (767 nm) and D1 (770 nm) cooling transitions, thanks to a high-power second harmonic generation (SHG) stage. We successfully used this laser system to cool the $^{41}$K isotope of potassium in a 2D-3D Magneto-Optical Traps setup.