A Custom-Built High-Finesse Reference Cavity for Cold Rydberg Atom Excitation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Custom-Built High-Finesse Reference Cavity for Cold Rydberg Atom Excitation Jun-Ren Chen, Yu-Hsuan Chang, Yi-Wei Liu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6617610/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 29 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Applied Physics B → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We present a self-assembled ultra-low expansion (ULE) cavity system designed for high-precision laser frequency stabilization. The cavity mirrors are bonded to the ULE spacer using a low thermal expansion adhesive, and the assembled cavity exhibits a finesse of nearly \(3 \times 10^{4}\) . A custom-designed multilayer aluminum housing was developed to passively isolate the cavity from environmental fluctuations. Long-term performance characterization reveals a frequency drift of approximately 164 kHz per day.After locking a diode laser to the cavity using the Pound-Drever-Hall technique, we achieve a linewidth of approximately \(19.4 \text{kHz}\) and a fractional frequency stability of \(6.4 \times 10^{-13}\) at 1 s.To validate the reliability of this frequency-stabilized laser system, we applied it to Rydberg excitation spectroscopy via trap-loss measurements of cold \(^{87}\) Rb atoms. Compared to conventional wavelength meter locking, the cavity-stabilized system significantly improves spectral resolution, reducing the linewidth of the trap-loss spectrum from 34 MHz to 6 MHz. Our system offers a robust and cost-effective solution for high-resolution spectroscopy, with applications in coherent control of Rydberg atoms. High-finesse cavity Laser frequency stabilization Rydberg atom excitation Low expansion adhesive Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 29 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Applied Physics B → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 13 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 10 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 24 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 13 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 08 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 08 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 08 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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