Laser frequency comb system for the infrared Doppler instrument on the Subaru Telescope

Abstract

An exoplanet survey with a near-infrared Doppler (IRD) instrument focused on mid-to-late M-type dwarfs began in February 2019 within the framework of the Subaru Strategic Program. Because mid-to-late M-type dwarfs are brighter in the infrared region than in the visible region, a laser frequency comb (LFC) system was developed as a wavelength reference, covering the near-infrared region from 970 to 1750 nm. To stabilize the comb image on the spectrometer, the original 12.5 GHz comb generated using highly nonlinear fibers was injected into the spectrometer after optical processing, including spectral shaping, depolarization, and mode scrambling. An inline fiber module was introduced to enable any optical system configuration for the optical processor. This fiber-optic configuration in the LFC system allows for long-term stability and easy repair. Moreover, simple remote control of the LFC system using an interactive program enabled LFC generation in approximately 5 min, excluding warm-up time. The observations using the IRD instrument over 4 years have proven that our LFC system is practical and stable. The LFC system operated stably without major problems during this period, helping to maintain a high radial velocity accuracy.