Related papers: Astronomical spectrograph calibration with broad-s…
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'…
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…
Typical astronomical spectrographs have a resolution ranging between a few hundred to 200.000. Deconvolution and correlation techniques are being employed with a significance down to 1/1000 th of a pixel. HeAr and ThAr lamps are usually…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Optical frequency combs have the potential to improve the precision of the radial velocity measurement of celestial bodies, leading to breakthroughs in such fields as exoplanet exploration. For these purposes, the comb must have a broad…
Optical frequency combs generated by multiple four-wave mixing of two stabilized single-frequency lasers in optical fibers are proposed for use as high precision frequency markers, calibration of astrophysical spectrometers and metrology.…
Searches for extrasolar planets using the periodic Doppler shift of stellar spectral lines have recently achieved a precision of 60 cm/s (ref 1), which is sufficient to find a 5-Earth-mass planet in a Mercury-like orbit around a Sun-like…
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 propose and analyze a new approach to generate a broadband astro-comb by spectral broadening of a narrowband astro-comb inside a highly nonlinear optical fiber. Numerical modeling shows that cascaded four-wave-mixing dramatically…
While being invented for precision measurement of single atomic transitions, frequency combs have also become a versatile tool for broadband spectroscopy in the last years. In this paper we present a novel and simple approach for broadband…
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…
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…
One of the essential prerequisites for detection of Earth-like extra-solar planets or direct measurements of the cosmological expansion is the accurate and precise wavelength calibration of astronomical spectrometers. It has already been…
Optical frequency combs have had a remarkable impact on precision spectroscopy. Enabling this technology in the x-ray domain is expected to result in wide-ranging applications, such as stringent tests of astrophysical models and quantum…