Related papers: A new Generation of Spectrometer Calibration Techn…
We describe a possible new technique for precise wavelength calibration of high-resolution astronomical spectrographs using femtosecond-pulsed mode-locked lasers controlled by stable oscillators such as atomic clocks. Such `frequency combs'…
Broadband femtosecond-laser frequency combs are filtered to spectrographically resolvable frequency-mode spacing, and the limitations of using cavities for spectral filtering are considered. Data and theory are used to show implications to…
Using a turn-key Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser frequency comb, an off-the-shelf supercontinuum device, and Fabry-Perot mode filters, we report the generation of a 16 GHz frequency comb spanning a 90 nm band about a center wavelength of 566…
Astronomical precision spectroscopy underpins searches for life beyond Earth, direct observation of the expanding Universe and constraining the potential variability of physical constants across cosmological scales. Laser frequency combs…
Laser frequency combs (LFCs) are well on their way to becoming the next-generation calibration sources for precision astronomical spectroscopy. This development is considered key in the hunt for low-mass rocky exoplanets around solar-type…
Precise astronomical spectroscopic analyses routinely assume that individual pixels in charge-coupled devices (CCDs) have uniform sensitivity to photons. Intra-pixel sensitivity (IPS) variations may already cause small systematic errors in,…
We investigate a new scheme for astronomical spectrograph calibration using the laser frequency comb at the Solar Vacuum Tower Telescope on Tenerife. Our concept is based upon a single-mode fiber channel, that simultaneously feeds the…
A direct measurement of the universe's expansion history could be made by observing in real time the evolution of the cosmological redshift of distant objects. However, this would require measurements of Doppler velocity drifts of about 1…
The quest for extrasolar planets and their characterisation as well as studies of fundamental physics on cosmological scales rely on capabilities of high-resolution astronomical spectroscopy. A central requirement is a precise wavelength…
We describe and characterize a 25 GHz laser frequency comb based on a cavity-filtered erbium fiber mode-locked laser. The comb provides a uniform array of optical frequencies spanning 1450 nm to 1700 nm, and is stabilized by use of a global…
We perform heterodyne spectroscopy at 1.56 micron with a tunable laser and thermal radiation from the Sun. The laser tuning is calibrated with a frequency comb, providing a simple spectrometer with absolute frequency tracebility and…
The search for earth-like exoplanets with the Doppler radial velocity technique is an extremely challenging and multifaceted precision spectroscopy problem. Currently, one of the limiting instrumental factors in reaching the required…
Precision laser spectroscopy is key to many developments in atomic and molecular physics and the advancement of related technologies such as atomic clocks and sensors. However, in important spectroscopic scenarios, such as astronomy and…
A laser frequency combs is a broad spectrum composed of equidistant narrow lines. Initially invented for frequency metrology, such combs enable new approaches to spectroscopy over broad spectral bandwidths, of particular relevance to…
A compact and robust coherent laser light source that provides spectral coverage from the ultraviolet to infrared is desirable for numerous applications, including heterodyne super resolution imaging[1], broadband infrared microscopy[2],…
Spectral shaping is critical to many fields of science. In astronomy for example, the detection of exoplanets via the Doppler effect hinges on the ability to calibrate a high resolution spectrograph. Laser frequency combs can be used for…
Laser frequency combs (LFCs) are an important component of Doppler radial velocity (RV) spectroscopy that pushes fractional precision to the $10^{-10}$ level, as required to identify and characterize Earth-like exoplanets. However, large…
Astrocombs are ideal spectrograph calibrators whose limiting precision can be derived using a second, independent, astrocomb system. We therefore analyse data from two astrocombs (one 18 GHz and one 25 GHz) used simultaneously on the HARPS…
Optical frequency combs, coherent light sources that connect optical frequencies with microwave oscillations, have become the enabling tool for precision spectroscopy, optical clockwork and attosecond physics over the past decades. Current…
Laser speckle, the granular intensity pattern arising from random optical interference, provides a high-dimensional encoding of spectral information that can be exploited for precision metrology. Speckle-based spectrometers have advanced…