Amplitude and frequency stabilized solid-state lasers in the near infrared

In this article we present a comprehensive review of the work done by our group on the amplitude and frequency stabilization of diode-pumped near-infrared solid-state lasers. In particular, we describe experiments based on single-mode Nd:YAG (1064 nm), Er-Yb:glass (1530-1560 nm), and Tm-Ho:YAG (2097 nm) lasers, end-pumped by semiconductor laser diodes. Amplitude stabilization is achieved by means of optoelectronic control loops sensing the laser intensity fluctuations and feeding back the error signal to the current of the pump diodes. Frequency stabilization is pursued using rovibrational molecular lines as absolute frequency references by means of various frequency locking techniques. The most interesting stability results are described in some detail whereas the wide literature cited through the paper provides for a useful reference list of related topics and experiments.