Getter vacuum pump to maintain vacuum pressure within a housing of a Fabry-Perot cavity

A method of controlling pressure in an ultra-stable optical resonance cavity, the method comprising:

• providing the ultra-stable cavity enclosed in a vacuum housing;
• wherein the ultra-stable cavity comprises:
• a first reflector;
• a second reflector in optical communication with the first reflector;
• a spacer having a first end and a second end provided between the first reflector and the second reflector;
• wherein the first reflector is positioned at the first end of the spacer and the second reflector is positioned at the second end of the spacer to provide an optical path length between the first reflector and the second reflector;
• wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are positioned such that the first reflector and the second reflector intersect an incident light beam, thereby forming the ultra-stable optical resonance cavity between the first reflector and the second reflector;
• maintaining a pressure in the vacuum housing less than 1×10−6 Torr using a pumping system in communication with the vacuum housing;
• wherein the pumping system comprises a getter pump, the getter pump maintaining the pressure inside the vacuum housing at or below 1×10−6 Torr after evacuation;
• and
• wherein the optical resonance cavity is a Fabry-Perot cavity, an ultra-stable cavity, or a vacuum gap cavity.

A method of transporting an ultra-stable optical resonance cavity, the method comprising:

• providing the ultra-stable cavity enclosed in a vacuum housing;
• wherein the ultra-stable cavity comprises:
• a first reflector;
• a second reflector in optical communication with the first reflector;
• a spacer having a first end and a second end provided between the first reflector and the second reflector;
• wherein the first reflector is positioned at the first end of the spacer and the second reflector is positioned at the second end of the spacer to provide an optical path length between the first reflector and the second reflector;
• wherein the first reflector and the second reflector are positioned such that the first reflector and the second reflector intersect an incident light beam, thereby forming the ultra-stable optical resonance cavity between the first reflector and the second reflector;
• pumping said vacuum enclosure during transport using a pumping system in fluid communication with the vacuum housing so as to maintain a pressure in the vacuum housing less than 1×10−6 Torr;
• wherein the pumping system comprises a getter pump, the getter pump maintaining the pressure inside the vacuum housing at or below 1×10−6 Torr after evacuation;
• and
• wherein the optical resonance cavity is a Fabry-Perot cavity, an ultra-stable cavity, or a vacuum gap cavity.