Menlo Systems, a leading supplier of precision photonics instruments, and Thorlabs, a global manufacturer of photonics equipment, have jointly announced the release of a co-branded line of high-finesse optical reference cavities comprised of a 12.1 cm long cylindrical ultra-low expansion (ULE) glass spacer incorporating cavity mirrors with high-reflectivity crystalline (xtal stable™) coatings on fused silica substrates, all housed in a stainless steel vacuum chamber. Designed to provide the ultimate in laser stability, the XM-ORC series includes all necessary hardware to stabilize the cavity at its zero-crossing of the thermal expansion coefficient, which is near room temperature.

These optical reference cavities will be brought to market with finesse values either in excess of 300,000 for operation at 1550 nm, 1397 nm, and 1156 nm, or greater than 200,000 for operation at 1064 nm. Other wavelengths are available upon request. Comprising a thermal noise ADEV limit as low as 1.6x10^-16 and a low linear drift rate of ~150 mHz/s, the XM-ORC series is the ultimate reference for cavity-stabilized lasers and is ideal for select applications in high resolution spectroscopy, quantum computing, optical clocks, cooling and trapping of atoms and ions, as well as low-noise microwave generation.

Menlo Systems and Thorlabs have long collaborated on the development of photonics equipment and systems of the highest performance. This joint effort represents the start of a new phase in their relationship, leveraging their individual expertise to push the boundaries of what is possible in laser stabilization.