Role of infrared frequency synthesis in metrology

Abstract

Infrared frequency synthesis (IFS) techniques are briefly surveyed, and some important results are summarized. The recent measurement of the frequency of the methane-stabilized He-Ne laser is significant due to the accurate measurement of the methane wavelength and its fundamental role in metrology. The possibilities of an improved value for the speed of light and of additional applications for frequency measurements at various levels of accuracy are discussed.