I took a spectrum of PMC error signal when the FSS loop is not closed. This should provide a rough estimate of the free running laser noise. We had earlier seen a peak at 435 kHz in the Northside, hence I wanted to take this data with some references. First of all, this peak is very similar in the description of relaxation-oscillation peaks of these NPRO lasers mentioned on page 52 of this manual. The "Noise Eater (NE)" is supposed to suppress this peak significantly. However, in the spectrum of the PMC error signal, there is no difference when noise eater was ON or OFF.

I took a spectrum of Southside as well, just to see if I could see action of Noise eater there. For south laser, the noise eater suppressed noise only till 100 kHz or so and probably this side also has a similar relaxation-oscillation peak problem but is shadowed by a large feature at 30 kHz. Not, the absolute value of the spectrum between North and south are vastly different due to different amount of light, different transimpedances od the PDs and different gain values in the feedback circuit.

However, the noise eater is supposed to reduce relative intensity noise only. And the error signals of PMC should really be telling us noise in the frequency of the laser. So maybe I'm connecting two dots in different Hilbert spaces. But Rana suggested that a busted Noise Eater could be the reason for the 435 kHz peak, I just do not understand how RIN would cause frequency noise so badly. I thought photothermal transfer functions from RIN to frequency noise were very small.