Abstract
We report for the first time the frequency locking of an extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser (EC-QCL) to a near-infrared frequency comb. The locked laser source is exploited to carry out molecular spectroscopy around 7.8 μm with a line-centre frequency combined uncertainty of ~63 kHz. The strength of the approach, in view of an accurate retrieval of line centre frequencies over a spectral range as large as 100 cm-1, is demonstrated on the P(40), P(18) and R(31) lines of the fundamental rovibrational band of N2O covering the centre and edges of the P and R branches. The spectrometer has the potential to be straightforwardly extended to other spectral ranges, till 12 μm, which is the current wavelength limit for commercial cw EC-QCLs.
Funding received from the cooperative project FEAST between Politecnico di Milano and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under the Competitive Center Funding program of KAUST and from the Italian Ministry of Research and Education (ELI project ESFRI Roadmap).