Frequency scanning of a laser with a Littman–Metcalf cavity using an electrooptic deflector

A new method for scanning a single-frequency laser with a Littman–Metcalf cavity using an electrooptic deflector is proposed and realised experimentally. The main advantages of such a scanning technique are its high precision and high frequency tuning rate, as well as the absence of mobile elements. It is shown that for a certain configuration of the cavity, the variation of the laser radiation wavelength can be synchronised with the optical length of the cavity, thus preventing mode hopping during scanning.