Laser frequency stabilization by polarization spectroscopy of a reflecting reference cavity

Abstract

We propose a new scheme for locking the frequency of a laser to a resonant reference cavity. A linear polarizer or Brewster plate is placed inside the reference cavity, so that the reflected light acquires a frequency-dependent elliptical polarization. A simple polarization analyzer detects dispersion shaped resonances which can provide the error signal for electronic frequency stabilization without any need for modulation techniques.