A frequency reference based in VCSEL-driven dark line resonances in Cs vapor

Summary form only given. We report on recent experiments to use dark line coherent population trapping (CPT) resonances in cesium vapor as the basis for a compact frequency reference. The resonance is excited by directly modulating the injection current of a VCSEL at one-half the ground state hyperfine transition of Cs (4.6 GHz) to produce RF sidebands on the optical carrier. The laser output is then passed through a room-temperature cell containing Cs at its vapor pressure together with 8.7 kPa of Neon buffer gas and the transmitted optical power is detected in a photodiode. When the laser carrier is tuned half way between the two hyperfine components of the D/sub 2/ line at 852 nm, and the RF modulation frequency is adjusted to be equal to one-half the hyperfine splitting, the absorption of the sidebands through the cell is slightly reduced due to the CPT effect. As the RF frequency is scanned over the resonance, lock-in detection is used to produce a /spl sim/1 kHz wide dispersive error signal which is in turn used to stabilize the modulation frequency. The narrow signal is the result of the buffer gas, which reduces the time-of-flight broadening of the transition.