Experimental generation of a flat-top beam profile in a stable ring cavity.

ABSTRACT

In this Letter, we present a spatially homogeneous field inside of a ring cavity that was created by combining two transverse modes generated by a single laser through modulation. The interference term between the two modes averages out because of the frequency difference that exists between them, eliminating the need for interferometric control of their relative phase. The use of a ring cavity allows for a large waist for the flat-top profile, big enough to cover the atoms in an atomic trap. The cavity is mechanically and thermally isolated, and the laser light is locked to the cavity using the Pound-Drever-Hall technique. The flat-top profile technique reported here fulfills the vanishing curvature criterion at the center of the profile.