Saturation spectroscopy of CO sub(2) and frequency stabilization of an optical parametric oscillator at 2.77 mu m

We report the frequency stabilization of a CW single-frequency, singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to the saturation absorption center of the C1612O2[10 degree 1, 02 degree 1]II arrow left 00 degree 0 P(14) line at 2.77 mu m. The CO2 molecules were excited by the OPO idler wave, and the absorption signal was monitored through the fluorescence at 4.3 mu m using a gold-coated longitudinal cell. The idler frequency was stabilized onto the line center by wavelength modulation method. The linewidth of the saturation dip was estimated to be 4.7 MHz, and the achieved frequency stability was 3.9 kHz (3.6x10-11).