Direct demodulation of a 10.6µm FM signal with an NH2D stark cell

A new technique for direct demodulation of a 10.6-μm FM signal using a Stark absorption cell is described. A Stark tunable absorption line in NH
2
D is used to track the time-varying frequency of the incoming FM laser signal using a closed servo loop. The demodulated FM signal is proportional to the feedback voltage applied to the Stark cell. Demodulation at frequencies up to 5 kHz has been demonstrated, the rate being limited only by the bandwidth of the available servo electronics.