Influence of laser linewidth on performance of Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry

The effects of optical sources with different laser linewidths on Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry （BOTDR） are investigated numerically and experimentally. Simulation results show that the spectral linewidth of spontaneous Brillouin scattering remains almost constant when the laser linewidth is less than 1 MHz at the same pulse width; otherwise, it increases sharply. A comparison between a fiber laser （FL） with 4-kHz linewidth at 3 dB and a distributed feedback （DFB） laser with 3-MHz linewidth is made experimentally. When a constant laser power is launched into the sensing fiber, the fitting linewidths of the beat signals （backscattered Brillouin light and local oscillator （LO）） is about 5 MHz wider for the DFB laser than for the FL and the intensity of the beat signal is about a half. Furthermore, the frequency fluctuation in the long sensing fiber is lower for the FL source, yielding about 2 MHz less than that of the DFB laser, indicating higher temperature/strain resolution. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations.

Influence of laser linewidth on external-cavity frequency doubling efficiency of a 1.56 μm master oscillator fiber power amplifier

By using an external-cavity frequency-doubling master oscillator fiber power amplifier （MOPA）, a 700 mW continuous-wave single-frequency laser source at 780 nm is produced. It is shown that the frequency doubling efficiency is improved when the seed diode laser is optically locked to a resonant frequency of a confocal Fabry-Perot （F-P） cavity. This phenomenon can be attributed to the narrowing of the 1.56 μm laser linewidth and explained by our presented theoretical model. The experimental results are found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Investigation of Tolerable Laser Linewidth for Different Modulation Formats in CO-OFDM Systems

The ideal behavior of communication system requires a single frequency carrier. In optical communication system, light is used as a carrier. Practical laser source has a finite linewidth due to variations in the frequency of operation, hence, resulting in undesired phase perturbations in the signal whereas the ideal requirement is the delta function spectral shape at the carrier frequency. The spectral shape gets broadened due to phase noise and is modeled as lorentzian shape. Linewidth is a measure of stability of laser phase noise with time. Coherent Optical Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) along with the spectrally efficient Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) formats is emerging as one of the best solutions for future high speed fiber transmission systems. Though the coherent, receivers have advantages in terms of sensitivity and selectivity, laser phase noise is the main limitation of such systems as the laser phase noise further causes common phase rotation of all the subcarriers per symbol and also results in inter carrier interference. QAM formats are also susceptible to laser phase noise. Phase noise in coherent systems is governed by laser linewidth. Hence, it is very important to investigate the impact of laser linewidth in CO-OFDM systems. This paper investigates the tolerable laser linewidths for different QAM formats in a 40 Gbps COOFDM system.

Two-hertz-linewidth Nd:YAG lasers at 1064 nm stabilized to vertically mounted ultra-stable cavities

Two Nd：YAG lasers operating at 1064 nm are separately servo-locked to two vertically mounted ultra-stable cavities. The optical heterodyne beat between two cavity-stabilized lasers shows that the linewidth of each laser reaches 2 Hz and the average frequency drift reduces to less than 1 Hz/s.

Rayleigh backscattering: a method to highly compress laser linewidth

Ultra-narrow linewidth laser with several hundred hertz at room temperature has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years and played a critical role in both optical sensing and communication fields. In this paper, a new method based on Rayleigh backscattering to highly compress the laser linewidth was proposed and demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. By theoretical analysis and simulation, Rayleigh backscattering can be collected in any waveguide structure and all wave bands,which could have a revolutionary impact on the field of laser. A single-longitudinal mode fiber ring laser with130-Hz linewidth was achieved with self-injection feedback structure at normal atmospheric temperature. The linewidth compression based on Rayleigh backscattering lies in the fact that laser linewidth after scattering is narrower than that of incident light in high Rayleigh scattering structure. The self-rejection feedback method expanding free spectra range of laser cavity simultaneously was used to further suppress the mode-hopping and stabilizing output. Experimental results showed that the laser linewidth can be easily narrowed to hundreds of hertz with side-mode suppression up to 75 dB. This agrees with the theoretical analysis and simulation results qualitatively.

Broad bandwidth interference filter-stabilized external cavity diode laser with narrow linewidth below 100kHz

Interference filter-stabilized external cavity diode lasers （ECDLs） have properties of simple configurations, high sta- bilities, and narrow linewidths. However, the interference filter used in common ECDL designs requires an ultra-narrow bandwidth （about 0.3 nm） to achieve mode selection, that is considerably expensive and not yet available for a wide range of wavelengths. In this paper, a robust ECDL using an available broad bandwidth （about 4 nm） interference filter as the wavelength discriminator is constructed and tested. The ECDL demonstrated a narrow Lorentzian fitted linewidth of 95 kHz and a spectral purity of 2.9 MHz. The long-term frequency stability of the ECDL reaches 5.59 x 10 12.

Transportable 1555-nm Ultra-Stable Laser with Sub-0.185-Hz Linewidth

We present two cavity-stabilized lasers at 1555 nm, which are built to be the frequency source for a transportable photonic microwave generation system. The frequency instability reaches the thermal noise limit （7 ×10-16） of the 10-cm ultra-low expansion glass cavity at 1-10s averaging time and the beat signal of the two lasers reveals a remarkable linewidth of 185mHz.

Effects of prism beam expander and slits on excimer laser linewidth narrowing module

Theoretical simulation and experiments based on a prism beam expander and an echelle grating are con- ducted to study the dependence of linewidth and pulse energy on incidence angle and slit width. With a larger prism incident angle or narrower slit width, the linewidth becomes narrower while the laser pulse energy becomes lower. However, the pulse energy can be improved by optimally designing the prism beam expander. In addition, a subpicometer linewidth ArF laser is obtained with a double-prism beam expander and an echelle grating.

Influences of semiconductor laser on fibre-optic distributed disturbance sensor based on Mach-Zehnder interferometer

This paper investigates the influences of a semiconductor laser with narrow linewidth on a fibre-optic distributed disturbance sensor based on Mach-Zehnder interferometer. It establishes an effective numerical model to describe the noises and linewidth of a semiconductor laser, taking into account their correlations. Simulation shows that frequency noise has great influences on location errors and their relationship is numerically investigated. Accordingly, there is need to determine the linewidth of the laser less than a threshold and obtain the least location errors. Furthermore, experiments are performed by a sensor prototype using three semiconductor lasers with different linewidths, respectively, with polarization maintaining optical fibres and couplers to eliminate the polarization induced noises and fading. The agreement of simulation with experimental results means that the proposed numerical model can make a comprehensive description of the noise behaviour of a semiconductor laser. The conclusion is useful for choosing a laser source for fibre-optic distributed disturbance sensor to achieve optimized location accuracy. What is more, the proposed numerical model can be widely used for analysing influences of semiconductor lasers on other sensing, communication and optical signal processing systems.

A New Kind of Self-Frequency-Stabilization 1.3μM Single Frequency Coherent Source with 10MW and a Spectrum Linewidth in the Order of Kilohertz

The design of 1.3μm He-Ne single frequency laser for optical fiber communication is in-troduced.The scheme for obtaining steady single-mode oscillation by raising gas pressureand the method of getting linear-polarization single frequency output by longitudinal Zeemaneffect are present.The relations of linewidth to some factors are discussed.

Gain Measurement and Anomalous Decrease of Peak Gain at Long Wavelength for InAs/GaAs Quantum-Dot Lasers

Mode gain spectrum is measured by the Fourier series expansion method for InAs/GaAs quantum-dot （QD） lasers with seven stacks of QDs at different injection currents. Gain spectra with distinctive peaks are observed at the short and long wavelengths of about 1210nm and 1300nm. For a QD laser with the cavity length of 1060μm, the peak gain of the long wavelength first increases slowly or even decreases with the injection current as the peak gain of the short wavelength increases quickly, and finally increases quickly before approaching the saturated values as the injection current further increases.

Numerical Simulation of External-Cavity Distributed Feedback Semiconductor Laser

We propose a theoretical model to describe external-cavity distributed feedback semiconductor lasers and investigate the impact of the number of external feedback points on linewidth and side-mode suppression ratio through numerical simulation. The simulation results demonstrate that the linewidth of external-cavity semiconductor lasers can be reduced by increasing the external cavity length and feedback ratio, and adding more external feedback points can further narrow the linewidth and enhance the side mode suppression ratio. This research provides insight into the external cavity distributed feedback mechanism and can guide the design of high-performance external cavity semiconductor lasers. .

基于光学反馈频率锁定的窄线宽稳定中红外激光产生技术研究

中红外精密激光光谱技术在痕量气体检测、基本物理常数测定等领域都有重要应用,然而由于缺乏窄线宽、稳定的中红外光源,很难实现中红外精密光谱测量.本文介绍了一种基于光学反馈频率锁定的窄线宽稳定中红外激光产生技术,分析了光学反馈实现激光到F-P腔锁定的可行性,利用一个高精细度中红外超稳F-P腔作为频率参考,基于光学反馈技术实现了量子级联激光器到该超稳腔的锁定.经过评估得到激光器线宽被压窄到1.1 Hz,压窄激光线宽的同时稳定了激光频率,将激光器的长期漂移控制在20 kHz/12 h.其中,为了获取长时间稳定的光学反馈,基于PDH技术获取了误差信号,用于对反馈相位的实时伺服控制.

基于多纵模振荡种子源的高功率窄线宽光纤激光器关键技术分析及研究现状

基于多纵模振荡种子源的窄线宽光纤激光器具有光路简单、结构紧凑、可靠性高、成本低等特点,在实际工程应用以及在空间受限的载荷平台上有着显著优势,是高功率光谱合成的理想子束模块。受自脉冲效应的影响,多纵模振荡种子源的时域特性较差,导致放大过程中会产生较强的光谱展宽与受激拉曼散射效应。这限制了其输出功率的进一步提升并降低了其光谱纯度。本文首先介绍了4种常见的窄线宽种子源,并重点分析了多纵模振荡种子源中自脉冲效应产生的机理及抑制方法,对优化多纵模振荡种子源和放大器的关键技术进行了详细介绍,归纳总结了近几年的技术突破与研究成果,对未来的发展方向进行了展望分析。本文研究对基于多纵模振荡种子源的窄线宽激光器的功率提升和光谱优化提供一定思路。

基于保偏布喇格光栅的窄线宽半导体激光器

为了研制面向量子精密测量应用的近红外波段光纤光栅外腔半导体激光器,采用独立设计的高偏振依赖增益芯片和双折射光纤布喇格光栅,通过法布里-珀罗等效谐振腔模型,系统分析了光栅反射率、外腔和芯片长度对激光线宽的影响。结果表明,所研制激光器实现了54.46 mW的输出功率、58.88 dB的边模抑制比和24.46 dB的偏振消光比,利用延迟自外差拍频方法测得的洛伦兹线宽低至2.69 kHz。此研究为独立设计制备分立器件的单频窄线宽外腔半导体激光器提供参考,有望应用于雷达成像、陀螺仪、磁力仪和原子钟等量子精密测量领域。

可移动光学超稳腔的研制及其稳定性测试

可移动超稳腔可以减小环境振动对激光稳定性带来的影响,适合振动强度较大的运输条件。本文展示了一种由低膨胀系数玻璃制作的光学谐振腔,并测试了激光锁定到该可移动超稳腔的频率稳定性。支杆固定于金属热屏蔽罩内的机械设计使其具有良好的稳定性和可移动性。采用短延迟自外差干涉法测量了激光器锁定到超稳腔后的线宽,并且借助振动平台测试其稳定性。实验发现锁定后的激光器线宽和振动频率存在线性关系,激光器线宽会随着振动加速度增大出现饱和效应。去除振动时激光线宽可以恢复到无振动时的数值,证实该超稳腔具有较高稳定性。

高功率线偏振窄线宽光纤激光器TMI抑制

高功率线偏振窄线宽光纤激器在功率光谱合成、相干探测等方面具有广泛的应用前景。在高功率线偏振窄线宽光纤激光器中,模式不稳定(TMI)效应是限制其功率提升的主要因素之一。本文分析了TMI效应对高功率线偏振窄线宽光纤激光器输出功率的影响,提出了TMI效应的抑制方法。文章采用长波泵浦技术,输出功率100 mW的单频激光器作为种子源,相位调制器将种子源线宽展宽至25 GHz,经三级放大,最终实现了线宽25 GHz、功率2.2 kW、中心波长1064 nm、消光比98%的线偏振窄线宽激光输出,光束质量M_(x)^(2)=1.2、M_(y)^(2)=1.21。分析了泵浦波长对TMI效应的影响:由于光线芯径较小(20μm),增益光纤对泵浦光吸收系数较高(1.8 dB/m@976 nm),纤芯温度较高,加上泵浦光量子亏损引入的热,导致纤芯折射率发生变化,较低功率下发生TMI效应,当泵浦波长向长波偏移时,泵浦光的量子亏损降低,同时泵浦吸收系数也降低,无论在光纤全长、还是单位长度上的热分布均减小,增大了TMI阈值,提升了线偏振窄线宽光纤激光器的输出功率。

基于MEMS反射镜的窄线宽外腔可调谐半导体激光器

基于大转角的电磁式MEMS反射镜和闪耀光栅作为外腔调谐元件,设计了Littman-Metcalf结构的外腔半导体可调谐激光器,MEMS反射镜可准确控制偏转角度,2 h内角度复位调谐波长漂移小于20 pm,该可调谐激光器实现了1435.81~1555.83 nm(120.02 nm)的稳定的波长调谐,全波段波长调谐过程中激光器边模抑制比大于30 dB,相同调谐电流下,激光器波长控制误差小于20 pm。注入电流350 mA时,外腔激光器输出功率达25.89 mW,最小阈值电流68 mA。利用延迟自外差法测得可调谐激光器的线宽优于69 kHz。该研究成果有望在激光雷达、相干激光通信、光学传感器及计量检测等诸多领域发挥重要作用。

基于双F-P标准具的宽调谐窄线宽Tm:YAP脉冲激光器

设计了一种宽调谐、窄线宽、高重频的Tm:YAP脉冲激光器。采用三个切轴方向的Tm:YAP晶体作为增益介质,通过0.5 mmYAG材质F-P标准具和0.025 mm熔石英材质F-P标准具,激光器分别实现了49 nm、44 nm、51 nm波长连续调谐,具体分别为1 951~2 000 nm、1 932~1 976 nm、1 943~1 994 nm。同时测得激光线宽均在0.4 nm左右。声光调Q 10 kHz脉冲重复频率下,分别实现了最大平均功率5.08 W、6.29 W、4.83 W的脉冲激光输出。对比发现,b轴Tm:YAP激光器的平均功率最大,测得最大平均功率下的脉宽为65.7 ns,光束质量因子M2在x方向上为1.84,y方向上为1.93。结果表明b轴Tm:YAP晶体具有宽调谐、窄线宽、高功率、大能量激光的潜力。

窄线宽外腔半导体激光器研究进展

窄线宽外腔半导体激光器具有结构简单、可调谐、噪声低等优势,广泛应用于量子精密测量、光通信、激光雷达等领域。根据外腔选频器件的不同,本文主要介绍光栅型激光器、干涉滤光型激光器、波导型激光器和法拉第激光器四类外腔半导体激光器,分析各类激光器的基本结构与选频机制、介绍各自的优缺点以及国内外研究进展。其中,前三类激光器采用非量子器件进行频率选择,而法拉第激光器利用共振法拉第旋光效应选频,输出波长直接对应原子跃迁谱线,对激光二极管的电流与温度变化具有良好的鲁棒性。随后介绍外腔半导体激光器的应用情况,尤其是在精密测量领域中的典型应用。最后总结并展望窄线宽外腔半导体激光器的未来发展方向。