Related papers: Laser frequency combs for astronomical observation…
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'…
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…
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…
The advent of the laser frequency comb as the wavelength calibration unit allows us to measure the radial velocity at $cm\ s^{-1}$ precision level with high stability in long-term, which enable the possibility of the detection of…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
We describe a successful effort to produce a laser comb around 1.55 $\mu$m in the astronomical H band using a method based on a line-referenced, electro-optical-modulation frequency comb. We discuss the experimental setup, laboratory…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
We discuss the laser frequency comb as a near infrared astronomical wavelength reference, and describe progress towards a near infrared laser frequency comb at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and at the University of…
With the advent of laser frequency combs, coherent light sources that offer equally-spaced sharp lines over a broad spectral bandwidth have become available. One decade after revolutionizing optical frequency metrology, frequency combs hold…
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…