A laser frequency comb that enables radial velocity measurements with a precision of 1 cm s-1

Chih-Hao Li, Andrew J. Benedick, Peter Fendel, Alexander G. Glenday, Franz X. Kärtner, David F. Phillips, Dimitar Sasselov, Andrew Szentgyorgyi and Ronald L. Walsworth ()
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Chih-Hao Li: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge,
Andrew J. Benedick: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Peter Fendel: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Alexander G. Glenday: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge,
Franz X. Kärtner: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
David F. Phillips: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge,
Dimitar Sasselov: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge,
Andrew Szentgyorgyi: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge,
Ronald L. Walsworth: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge,

Nature, 2008, vol. 452, issue 7187, 610-612

Abstract: Combing the sky for 'earths' The current count of extrasolar planets (on planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov) stands at 277, none of them Earth-like. Most were detected as a Doppler shift in stellar spectral lines, a method that 'sees' planets down to about five times the mass of the Earth. If Earth-sized planets are to be revealed by this observational approach, better Doppler shift resolution via improved spectrograph wavelength calibration will be required. A newly developed instrument, the 'astro-comb', achieves just that by adapting the laser frequency comb, a device that has revolutionized laboratory spectroscopy, to the needs of astrophysics. This involves reducing the density of comb lines, without compromising spectral resolution. A performance test of the astro-comb is reported in this issue, and in May 2008, the new device joins the search for 'exoearths' in earnest.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06854

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