Dye-laser frequency stabilization using optical resonators

We describe a study, performed using heterodyne techniques, of the frequency fluctuations of two completely independent ring dye lasers locked to independent reference cavities. Single laser linewidths of less than 750 Hz were achieved, the principal limitation being residual vibrations from the noisy laboratory environment. With future design and environmental improvements, ultranarrow linewidths are expected thus providing a useful tool for a great variety of high precision experiments.