Tuneable, stabilised diode lasers for compact atomic frequency standards and precision wavelength references

We describe the ongoing activities in Observatoire Cantonal de Neuchâtel in the fields of precision laser spectroscopy and metrology of Rb atomic vapours. The work is motivated by the potentials of highly stable and narrowband laser light sources for a variety of technical and scientific applications. We describe the use of extended-cavity diode lasers for the realisation of such narrowband light sources and the basic schemes under study for their stabilisation, with focus on Doppler and sub-Doppler laser spectroscopy. The resulting laser systems offer good frequency stabilities and can be effectively miniaturised. This makes them interesting for direct applications of these techniques, as well as the presently developed precision instruments: compact atomic frequency standards for ground and space applications (GALILEO satellite positioning system), secondary optical frequency standards, transportable extended cavity diode lasers as seeding lasers, and others.