A novel laser wavelength meter based on the measurement of synthetic wavelength

作者:Yan Liping*; Chen Benyong; Yang Wanfu; Wei Ruofei; Zhao Siwei
来源:Review of Scientific Instruments, 2010, 81(11): 115104.
DOI:10.1063/1.3494615

摘要

The accuracy of the current wavelength meter using optical interferometry is limited by the numbers of fringe counted. To solve this problem, a novel laser wavelength meter based on the measurement of synthetic wavelength is proposed. The unknown wavelength is obtained by measuring the value of synthetic wavelength produced by the unknown and reference wavelengths, and half of this value corresponds to 2 pi variation of the phase difference between the interference signals of the unknown and reference wavelengths. The optical configuration of the wavelength meter is designed and the measurement principle is analyzed theoretically. To verify its feasibility, three helium-neon lasers' wavelengths were determined experimentally, and a relative uncertainty on the unknown wavelength of the order of 10(-8) was realized. Accuracy analysis shows that this wavelength meter has the advantage of high accuracy when the unknown wavelength is around the standard laser wavelength recommended by CIPM.