Locking distributed feedback laser diode frequency to gas absorption lines based on genetic programming

Distributed feedback laser is widely used as the pump beam and probe beam in atomic physical and quantum experiments. As the frequency stability is a vital characteristic to the laser diode in these experiments, a saturated absorption frequency stabilization method assisted with the function of current and frequency is proposed. The relationship between the current and frequency is acquired based on the genetic programming (GP) algorithm. To verify the feasibility of the method, the frequency stabilization system is comprised of two parts that are modeling the relation between the current and frequency by GP and processing the saturated absorption signal. The results of the frequency stabilization experiment proved that this method can not only narrow the frequency searching range near the atomic line center but also compensate for the phase delay between the saturated absorption peak and the zero crossing point of the differential error signal. The reduced phase delay increases the locking probability and makes the wavelength drift only 0.015 pm/h, which converted to frequency drift is 7 MHz/h after frequency locking on the Rb absorption line.