Laser and Optical Subsystem for NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory

We describe the design and validation of the laser and optics subsystem for NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL), a multi-user facility being developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for studies of ultra-cold quantum gases in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. Ultra-cold atoms will be generated in CAL by employing a combination of laser cooling techniques and evaporative cooling in a microchip-based magnetic trap. Laser cooling and absorption imaging detection of bosonic mixtures of ${}^{87}$Rb and ${}^{39}$K or ${}^{41}$K will be accomplished using a high-power (up to 500~mW ex-fiber), frequency-agile dual wavelength (767~nm and 780~nm) laser and optical subsystem. The CAL laser and optical subsystem also includes the capability to generate high-power multi-frequency optical pulses at 784.87~nm to realize a dual-species Bragg atom interferometer.