Diode laser mode selection using a long external cavity

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Abstract
We describe a simple and practical scheme to control the operation of a diode laser in a specific longitudinal mode through the use of a long external cavity. We show that for a fixed laser current and temperature, the laser can selectively oscillate in several different modes by controlling the external-cavity length. With a simultaneous sweep of the laser current and the cavity length, the laser frequency can be continuously scanned by more than 10 GHz. This laser system has been used successfully in a laser cooling experiment of neutral atoms.