College Honors Program

Date of Creation

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Physics

First Advisor

Paul Oxley

Abstract

We have designed, constructed, and tested a lock-in amplifier with readily available electronic components and homebuilt analog circuits. Its performance is comparable to that of a commercial unit, but it costs significantly less and is much more compact. The various components of our lock-in amplifier are discussed and the basic principles behind the function and operation of this versatile device are explained. We have also assembled a laser system and used the output signal of our lock-in amplifier in a negative feedback loop to stabilize the frequency of our laser to an atomic reference frequency.

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