Laser wavelength measurements (review)

An analysis is made of the existing methods for precision measurements of laser wavelengths which are divided in accordance with laser applications (cw stabilized lasers, tunable pulse lasers), type of measuring system (multiple-beam and two-beam interferometers), and methods used to record interference patterns (scanning, locking of the path difference between interfering beams, etc.). An analysis is made of the experimental errors characteristic of all these systems and the results are reported of laser wavelength measurements carried out using currently available apparatus. The research trends and prospects of improving the measurement precision are discussed.