A long-term frequency-stabilized erbium-fiber-laser-based optical frequency comb with an intra-cavity electro-optic modulator

We demonstrate an optical frequency comb based on an erbium-doped-fiber femtosecond laser with the nonlinear polarization evolution scheme. The repetition rate of the laser is about 209 MHz. By controlling an intra-cavity electro- optic modulator and a piezo-transducer, the repetition rate can be stabilized with a high-bandwidth servo in a frequency range of 3 kHz, enabling long-term repetition rate phase-locking. The in-loop frequency stability of repetition rate is about 1.6× 10-13 in an integration time of 1 s, limited by the measurement system; and it is inversely proportional to integration time in the short term. Furthermore, using a common path f-2f interferometer, the carrier envelope offset frequency of the comb is obtained with a signal-to-noise ratio of 40 dB in a 3-MHz resolution bandwidth. Stabilized cartier envelope offset frequency exhibits a deviation of 0.6 mHz in an integration time of 1 s.

Precise determination of characteristic laser frequencies by an Er-doped fiber optical frequency comb

Femtosecond optical frequency combs correlate the microwave and optical frequencies accurately and coherently.Therefore,any optical frequency in visible to near-infrared region can be directly traced to a microwave frequency.As a result,the length unit“meter”is directly related to the time unit“second”.This paper validates the capability of the national wavelength standards based on a home-made Er-doped fiber femtosecond optical frequency comb to measure the laser frequencies ranging from visible to near-infrared region.Optical frequency conversion in the femtosecond optical frequency comb is achieved by combining spectral broadening in a highly nonlinear fiber with a single-point frequencydoubling scheme.The signal-to-noise ratio of the beat notes between the femtosecond optical frequency comb and the lasers at 633,698,729,780,1064,and 1542 nm is better than 30 d B.The frequency instability of the above lasers is evaluated by using a hydrogen clock signal with a instability of better than 1×10^(-13)at 1-s averaging time.The measurement is further validated by measuring the absolute optical frequency of an iodine-stabilized 532-nm laser and an acetylenestabilized 1542-nm laser.The results are within the uncertainty range of the international recommended values.Our results demonstrate the accurate optical frequency measurement of lasers at different frequencies using the femtosecond optical frequency comb,which is not only important for the precise and accurate traceability and calibration of the laser frequencies,but also provides technical support for establishing the national wavelength standards based on the femtosecond optical frequency comb.

Two-Photon Transitions of ^(85)Rb 5D_(5/2) State by Using an Optical Frequency Comb and a Continuous-Wave Laser

A high-resolution two-photon spectrum of 5S1/2 → 5P3/2 → 5D5/2 transitions in a thermal SSRb vapor cell is presented by using an optical frequency comb and a cw laser. The fluorescence of 6P3/2 → 5S1/2 spontaneous emission is detected when the cw laser frequency is scanned from the 5S1/2 ground state to 5P3/2 hyperfine levels and the optical frequency comb repetition rate is fixed. The hyperfine splittings （Ff = 2-5） of the 5D5/2 excited state are well resolved. The dependences of fluorescence intensities on the cw laser intensity and temperature of SSRb vapor eel1 are studied, respectively. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical analyses.

Numerical study of converting beat-note signals of dual-frequency lasers to optical frequency combs by optical injection locking of semiconductor lasers

The optical injection locking of semiconductor lasers to dual-frequency lasers is studied by numerical simulations.The beat-note signals can be effectively transformed to optical frequency combs due to the effective four wave-mixing in the active semiconductor gain medium. The low-noise Gaussian-like pulse can be obtained by locking the relaxation oscillation and compensating the gain asymmetry. The simulations suggest that pulse trains of width below 30 ps and repetition rate in GHz frequency can be generated simply by the optical injection locking of semiconductor lasers. Since the optical injection locking can broaden the spectrum and amplify the optical power simultaneously, it can be a good initial stage for generating optical frequency combs from dual-frequency lasers by multi-stage of spectral broadening in nonlinear waveguides.

Long-term frequency-stabilized optical frequency comb based on a turnkey Ti:sapphire mode-locked laser

We report a long-term frequency-stabilized optical frequency comb at 530–1100 nm based on a turnkey Ti:sapphire modelocked laser.With the help of a digital controller,turnkey operation is realized for the Ti:sapphire mode-locked laser.Under optimized design of the laser cavity,the laser can be mode-locked over a month,limited by the observation time.The combination of a fast piezo and a slow one inside the Ti:sapphire mode-locked laser allows us to adjust the cavity length with moderate bandwidth and tuning range,enabling robust locking of the repetition rate(f_(r)) to a hydrogen maser.By combining a fast analog feedback to pump current and a slow digital feedback to an intracavity wedge and the pump power of the Ti:sapphire mode-locked laser,the carrier envelope offset frequency(f_(ceo)) of the comb is stabilized.We extend the continuous frequency-stabilized time of the Ti:sapphire optical frequency comb to five days.The residual jitters of f;and f;are 0.08 m Hz and 2.5 m Hz at 1 s averaging time,respectively,satisfying many applications demanding accuracy and short operation time for optical frequency combs.

Generation of dual and quad‑optical frequency combs in the injected radiation free mode‑locked frequency‑shifted feedback laser

The results of an optoelectronic system—frequency-shifted feedback(FSF)laser experimental examination are presented.The considered FSF laser is seeded only with optical amplifer spontaneous emission(ASE)and operates in the mode-locked regime,whereby the output radiation is sequence of short pulses with a repetition rate determined by the delay time in its optical feedback circuit.In the frequency domain,the spectrum of such a pulse sequence is an optical frequency comb(OFC).These OFCs we call initial.We consider the possibility of tunable acousto-optic(AO)dual and quad-comb frequency spacing downconversion in the FSF laser seeded with ASE and operating in the mode-locked regime.The examined system applies a single frequency shifting loop with single AO tunable flter as the frequency shifter that is fed with several radio frequency signals simultaneously.The initial OFCs with frequency spacing of about 6.5 MHz may be obtained in the wide spectral range and their width,envelope shape and position in the optical spectrum may be tuned.The dual-combs are obtained with a pair of initial OFCs aroused by two various ultrasound waves in the acousto-optic tunable flter(AOTF).The dual-combs frequency spacing is determined by the frequency diference of the signals applied to the AOTF piezoelectric transducer and can be tuned simply.The quad-combs are obtained with three initial OFCs,forming a pair of dual-combs,appearing when three ultrasound frequencies feed the AOTF transducer.The quad-combs frequency spacing is defned by the diference between the frequency spacing of dual-combs.Quad-combs with more than 5000 spectral lines and tunable frequency spacing are observed.The successive frequency downconversion gives the possibility to reduce the OFC frequency spacing form several MHz for initial OFC to tens of kHz for quad-combs.

Advances of semiconductor mode-locked laser for optical frequency comb generation

Semiconductor mode-locked lasers(MLLs)can provide coherent optical frequency combs(OFCs)with high repetition rates and output power,which have been recognized as potential multi-wavelength sources used in optical communication field due to their compactness,high-efficiency,and low-cost properties.In this article,we have reviewed recent development of semiconductor MLL-based frequency comb generation.Different approaches of semiconductor MLLs for OFC generation are synoptically summarized based on various material platforms.The representative progress of III-V semiconductor MLLs on III-V platform and especially on Si substrates is both discussed for the applications in integrated silicon photonics.

Tunable optical frequency comb from a compact and robust Er:fiber laser

We report on a compact and robust self-referenced optical frequency comb with a tunable repetition rate,generated by an all-polarization-maintaining(PM)mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser.The spacing between comb teeth can be tuned above 300 kHz at a repetition rate of 101 MHz.The repetition rate and the carrier-envelope offset of the laser are stabilized separately,and the relative residual phase noises are determined to be 336µrad and 713 mrad(1 Hz-1 MHz).The accurate frequency characteristics and the stable structure show great potential for the use of such a comb in applications of precision measurements.

Mid-infrared optical frequency comb in the 2.7-4.0μm range via difference frequency generation from a compact laser system

We report on the generation of a mid-infrared(mid-IR)frequency comb with a maximum average output power of250 mW and tunability in the 2.7-4.0μm region.The approach is based on a single-stage difference frequency generation(DFG)starting from a compact Yb-doped fiber laser system.The repetition rate of the near-infrared(NIR)comb is locked at 75 MHz.The phase noise of the repetition rate in the offset-free mid-IR comb system is measured and analyzed.Except for the intrinsic of NIR comb,environmental noise at low frequency and quantum noise at high frequency from the amplifier chain and nonlinear spectral broadening are the main noise sources of broadening the linewidth of comb teeth,which limits the precision of mid-IR dual-comb spectroscopy.

Midinfrared optical frequency comb based on difference frequency generation using high repetition rate Er-doped fiber laser with single wall carbon nanotube film

We demonstrated stable midinfrared(MIR) optical frequency comb at the 3.0 μm region with difference frequency generation pumped by a high power, Er-doped, ultrashort pulse fiber laser system. A soliton mode-locked161 MHz high repetition rate fiber laser using a single wall carbon nanotube was fabricated. The output pulse was amplified in an Er-doped single mode fiber amplifier, and a 1.1–2.2 μm wideband supercontinuum(SC) with an average power of 205 m W was generated in highly nonlinear fiber. The spectrogram of the generated SC was examined both experimentally and numerically. The generated SC was focused into a nonlinear crystal, and stable generation of MIR comb around the 3 μm wavelength region was realized.

Tunable and broadband microwave frequency combs based on a semiconductor laser with incoherent optical feedback

Based on a semiconductor laser （SL） with incoherent optical feedback, a novel all-optical scheme for generating tunable and broadband microwave frequency combs （MFCs） is proposed and investigated numerically. The results show that, under suitable operation parameters, the SL with incoherent optical feedback can be driven to operate at a regular pulsing state, and the generated MFCs have bandwidths broader than 40 GHz within a 10 dB amplitude variation. For a fixed bias current, the line spacing （or repetition frequency） of the MFCs can be easily tuned by varying the feedback delay time and the feedback strength, and the tuning range of the line spacing increases with the increase in the bias current. The linewidth of the MFCs is sensitive to the variation of the feedback delay time and the feedback strength, and a linewidth of tens of KHz can be achieved through finely adjusting the feedback delay time and the feedback strength. In addition, mappings of amplitude variation, repetition frequency, and linewidth of MFCs in the parameter space of the feedback delay time and the feedback strength are presented.

Coherence transfer from 1064 nm to 578 nm using an optically referenced frequency comb

A laser at 578 nm is phase-locked to an optical frequency comb（OFC） which is optically referenced to a subhertzlinewidth laser at 1064 nm. Coherence is transferred from 1064 nm to 578 nm via the OFC. By comparing with a cavitystabilized laser at 578 nm, the absolute linewidth of 1.1 Hz and the fractional frequency instability of 1.3 × 10^-15 at an averaging time of 1 s for each laser at 578 nm have been determined, which is limited by the performance of the reference laser for the OFC.

Monolithic CEO-stabilization scheme-based frequency comb from an octave-spanning laser

We demonstrate a carder-envelope phase-stabilized octave-spanning oscillator based on the monolithic scheme. A wide output spectrum extending from 480 nm to 1050 nm was generated directly from an all-chirped mirror Ti：sapphire laser. After several improvements, the carder-envelope offset （CEO） beat frequency accessed nearly 60 dB under a reso- lution of 100 kHz. Using a feedback system with 50-kHz bandwidth, we compressed the residual phase noise to 55 mrad （integrated from 1 Hz to 1 MHz） for the stabilized CEO, corresponding to 23-as timing jitter at the central wavelength of 790 nm. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the smallest timing jitter achieved among the existing octave-spanning laser based frequency combs.

A 515-nm laser-pumped idler-resonant femtosecond BiB_(3)O_(6) optical parametric oscillator

We report on an idler-resonant femtosecond optical parametrical oscillator(OPO)based on BiB_(3)O_(6)(BiBO)crystal,synchronously pumped by a frequency-doubled,mode-locked Yb:KGW laser at 515 nm.The idler wavelengths of OPO can be tuned from 1100 nm to 1540 nm.At a repetition rate of 75.5 MHz,the OPO generates as much as 400 mW of idler power with 3.1 W of pump power,the corresponding pulse duration is 80 fs,which is 1.04 times of Fourier transform-limited(FTL)pulse duration at 1305 nm.In addition,the OPO exhibits excellent beam quality with M^(2)<1.8 at 1150 nm.To the best of our knowledge,this is the first idler-resonant femtosecond OPO pumped by 515 nm.

Pump-induced carrier envelope offset frequency dynamics and stabilization of an Yb-doped fiber frequency comb

In this paper, we demonstrate a carrier envelope phase-stabilized Yb-doped fiber frequency comb seeding by a nonlinear-polarization-evolution（NPE） mode-locked laser at a repetition rate of 60 MHz with a pulse duration of 191 fs.The pump-induced carrier envelope offset frequency（ f0） nonlinear tuning is discussed and further explained by the spectrum shift of the laser pulse. Through the environmental noise suppression, the drift of the free-running f0 is reduced down to less than 3 MHz within an hour. By feedback control on the pump power with a self-made phase-lock loop（PLL）electronics the carrier envelope offset frequency is well phase-locked with a frequency jitter of 85 m Hz within an hour.

A direct frequency comb for two-photon transition spectroscopy in a cesium vapor

A phase-stabilized femtosecond frequency comb is used to measure high-resolution spectra of two-photon transition 62S1/2-62P1/2,3/2-82S1/2 in a cesium vapor. The broadband laser output from a femtosecond frequency comb is split into counter-propagating parts, shaped in an original way, and focused into a room-temperature cesium vapor. We obtain high-resolution two-photon spectroscopy by scanning the repetition rate of femtosecond frequency comb, and through absolute frequency measurements.

Photonic generation of RF and microwave signal with relative frequency instability of 10^(-15)

We demonstrate the ultra-stable frequency sources aiming to improve the short-time instability of primary frequency standards.These sources are realized by using photonic generation approach,and composed of ultra-stable lasers,optical-frequency-combs,optical signal detecting parts,and synthesizers.Preliminary evaluation shows that the sources produce fixed-frequency at 9.54(/9.63)GHz,10 MHz,and tunable-frequency around 9.192 GHz with relative frequency instability of 10^(-15) for short terms.

Effective generation of optical quadruple frequency millimeter-wave based on fiber laser using injection rational harmonic mode-locked technique

A method to generate the optical quadruple frequency millimeter-wave with high power efficiency is pro- posed and demonstrated based on the combination of the injection 2nd-order rational harmonic mode- locked fiber ring laser technique and the fiber grating notch filter. In this approach, the fiber Bragg grating notch filter is inserted into the laser cavity to prevent the undesired optical carrier, so that the pump power can be converted to 2nd-order harmonic wave more efficiently. In our experiment, the power efficiency of optical quadruple frequency millimeter-wave （40 GHz） generation is ten folds of that of our previous method based only on the rational harmonic mode-locked technique.

基于光注入电流调制弱谐振腔法布里珀罗激光器获取光学频率梳

提出了一种基于电流调制弱谐振腔法布里珀罗激光器在外部光注入下产生光学频率梳的方案,实验研究了关键参量对所产生的光学频率梳性能的影响。在该方案中,首先采用频率为1.6 GHz(激光器弛豫振荡频率)、功率为19 dBm的正弦信号直接电流调制弱谐振腔法布里珀罗激光器,使其进入增益开关状态;进一步引入单光注入以及双光注入以获取高性能光学频率梳。实验研究结果表明:采用单光注入时,在合适的注入光功率条件下,连续变化注入光波长可使产生的光学频率梳的中心波长在1525~1560 nm内实现连续调谐。光学频率梳的梳线数目呈现周期性变化,变化周期为激光器的纵模间距0.28 nm(35 GHz);在给定注入光波长条件下,逐渐增加注入光功率,光学频率梳的梳线数目先在一个较高水平附近振荡,然后急剧下降,最后趋于平缓,而光学频率梳的载噪比呈现先增加后饱和的趋势;在优化单光注入参数条件下,获得了梳线功率在10 dB变化范围内包含49根梳线的光学频率梳。引入额外的注入光构建双光注入,在优化的参数条件下,获得了梳线功率在10 dB变化范围内包含92根梳线的光学频率梳。最后,对单光注入和双光注入以及不同注入波长间距的双光注入所产生的光学频率梳各梳齿之间的相干性进行了分析,发现各种光注入方式下所产生的光学频率梳各梳齿之间均具有强的相干性,其拍频信号中基频的单边带相位噪声均处于−125.0 dBc/Hz@10 kHz左右的水平。

基于光谱增强技术实现对532 nm波长激光频率标定

碘稳频532 nm Nd:YAG激光器在复现长度单位“米(m)”、绝对重力测量、引力波探测、精密光谱学、长度计量等领域有着重要应用,对其进行频率测量和标定对于激光器的性能评价具有重要意义.本文采用自行研制的掺Er光纤光学频率梳作为光源,对其扩谱后的1μm波段进行光谱增强并结合倍频晶体将光学频率梳输出的1.5μm波段光脉冲扩展到532 nm波段.其中掺Er光纤光学频率梳输出功率20 mW,首先经过掺Er光纤放大器将功率提到370 mW,经过脉冲压缩后脉冲宽度为45.7 fs,此后经过高非线性光纤扩谱实现光谱覆盖至1μm,输出功率为180 mW.扩谱后的1μm波段激光经过掺Yb光纤放大器放大至601 mW,经过压缩后脉冲宽度为84.6 fs,压缩后功率为420 mW.采用MgO:PPLN晶体对压缩后激光进行倍频得到155 mW的532 nm激光,倍频效率为36%.利用该系统分别对碘稳频532 nm Nd:YAG激光器输出的基频光1064 nm和倍频光532 nm进行拍频,获得了优于40 dB信噪比的拍频信号,后续进行了超过10 h的连续测量,测量结果与国际推荐值保持一致.