Frequency characteristics of an inherently stable Nd:YAG laser operated at liquid helium temperature

We report on frequency measurements of a free-running Nd:YAG laser operating at temperatures down to 6.5 K using a femtosecond laser frequency comb. Due to lower thermal expansion and thermo-optic effects as well as reduced electron-phonon interactions in Nd:YAG at cryogenic temperatures, a laser frequency stability on the order of 10−11 at τ ≤ 30s has been achieved. Within a one-week measurement period, absolute frequency deviations were lower than 1.85 MHz. This is up to a 100-fold improvement of frequency stability compared to any existing free-running solid-state laser.