Laser frequency locking with subnatural linewidth spectroscopy

We demonstrate a simple technique to lock the frequency of a laser to an atomic transition with a new technique of subnatural linewidth spectroscopy. The coupled rubidium system exhibits an enhanced absorption spectrum of the probe beam with a subnatural linewidth. Compared with other techniques with an additional laser, our scheme only utilizes a single laser, which will be locked. The observed spectroscopic linewidth is down to about 3.5 MHz. The laser frequency fluctuation is about 226 kHz after locking on. The demonstrated scheme offers a convenient and low-cost technique for laser frequency stabilization and related precision measurements.