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Doppler-free spectroscopy on Cs D$_1$ line with a dual-frequency laser

We report on Doppler-free laser spectroscopy in a Cs vapor cell using a dual-frequency laser system tuned on the Cs D$_1$ line. Using counter-propagating beams with crossed linear polarizations, an original sign-reversal of the usual saturated absorption dip and large increase in Doppler-free atomic absorption is observed. This phenomenon is explained by coherent population trapping (CPT) effects. The impact of laser intensity and light polarization on absorption profiles is reported in both single-frequency and dual-frequency regimes. In the latter, frequency stabilization of two diode lasers was performed, yielding a beat-note fractional frequency stability at the level of $3 \times 10^{-12}$ at 1 s averaging time. These performances are about an order of magnitude better than those obtained using a conventional single-frequency saturated absorption scheme.