Flexible control of semiconductor laser with frequency tunable modulation transfer spectroscopy

We introduce a new method of simultaneously implementing frequency stabilization and frequency shift for semiconductor lasers. We name this method the frequency tunable modulation transfer spectroscopy （FTMTS）. To realize a stable output of 780 nm semiconductor laser, an FTMTS optical heterodyne frequency stabilization system is constructed. Before entering into the frequency stabilization system, the probe laser passes through an acousto-optical modulator （AOM） twice in advance to achieve tunable frequency while keeping the light path stable. According to the experimental results, the frequency changes from 120 MHz to 190 MHz after the double-pass AOM, and the intensity of laser entering into the system is greatly changed, but there is almost no change in the error signal of the FTMTS spectrum. Using this signal to lock the laser frequency, we can ensure that the frequency of the laser changes with the amount of AOM shift. Therefore, the magneto-optical trap （MOT）-molasses process can be implemented smoothly.

Tunable magneto optic modulation based on magnetically responsive nanostructured magnetic fluid

Magnetic fluid is a kind of functional composite material with nanosized structure and unique optical properties. The tunable magneto-optic modulation of magnetic fluid under external magnetic field, achieved by adjusting the polarization direction of incident light, is investigated theoretically and experimentally in this work. The corresponding modulation depth and response time are obtained. The accompanying mechanisms are clarified by using the theory of dichroism of magtietic fluid and the aggregation/disintegration processes of magnetic particles within magnetic fluid when the external magnetic field turns on/off.

Widely Tunable Two-Section Directly Modulated DBR Lasers for TWDM-PON System

Wavelength tunable and directly modulated distributed Bragg reflector （DBR） lasers with butt-joint technology are designed, fabricated and characterized. The DBR laser consists of a gain section and a DBR section. To increase the electrical isolation between the gain section and the DBR section, parts of a p-doped material in the isolation region are etched off selectively. Over 2kΩ isolation resistance is realized ultimately without the need of ion implantation, which simplifies the fabrication process. The laser exhibits high speed modulation with a large tunable range. The 3dB direct modulation bandwidth of the device is over 8GHz in a 12nm tunable range. This widely tunable DBR laser with the simple structure is promising as a colorless light source for the next-generation time and wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network （TWDM-PON） systems.

Wideband Tunable Frequency-Doubling Optoelectronic Oscillator Using a Polarization Modulator and an Optical Bandpass Filter

A wideband tunable frequency-doubling optoelectronic oscillator （FD-OEO） is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on a polarization modulator and an optical bandpass filter （OBPF）. The central frequency of the correspondingly fundamental OEO could be adjusted by tuning the bandwidth and central frequency of the OBPF, which could also be regarded as a photonic-assisted tunable microwave filter. The frequency tuning range of the FD-OEO covers from 9.5 to 32.8？GHz, and the single sideband phase noise of the fundamental signal is lower than -100dBc/Hz at an offset of 10？kHz. Moreover, the frequency stability of the generated signal is investigated by measuring its Allan deviation. The Allan deviation of the generated fundamental signal at 10？GHz is 2.39×10^-9.

Guest Editorial——TTA Special Section on Terahertz Functional Devices

Terahertz（THz）radiation has been extensively investigated in recent years due to its potential applications in communication,homeland security,safety inspection,sensing,and imaging.For a common THz system,three parts are quite important：THz sources,THz detectors,and THz functional devices.

Photo-Doped Active Electrically Controlled Terahertz Modulator

We demonstrate an electric-controlled terahertz（THz） modulator which can be used to realize amplitude modulation of terahertz waves with slight photo-doping. The THz pulse transmission was efficiently modulated by electrically controlling the monolayer silicon-based device. The modulation depth reached 100% almost when the applied voltage was 7V at an external laser intensity of 0.6W/cm2. The saturation voltage reduced with the increase of the photo-excited intensity. In a THz continuous wave（CW）system, a significant fall in both THz transmission and reflection was also observed with the increase of applied voltage. This reduction in the THz transmission and reflection was induced by the absorption for electron injection. The results show that a high-efficiency and high modulation depth broadband electric-controlled terahertz modulator in a pure Si structure has been realized.

Transmission of 20 Gb/s PAM-4 signal over 20 km optical fiber using a directly modulated tunable DBR laser

We report 20 Gb/s transmission of four-level pulse amplitude modulation （PAM） signal using a directly modulated tunable distributed Bragg reflector （DBR） laser. Transmission distance over 20 km was achieved without using optical amplifiers and optical dispersion compensation modules. A wavelength tuning range of 11.5 nm and a 3 dB bandwidth greater than 10 GHz over the entire wavelength tuning range were obtained.

Tunable frequency-multiplying optoelectronic oscillator based on a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator incorporating a phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating

A tunable frequency-multiplying optoelectronic oscillator(OEO) based on a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator(DPMZM) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed system, the tunable fundamental microware signal is generated by a tunable optoelectronic oscillator incorporating a phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating(PS-FBG). By adjusting the DC bias of the DPMZM, the frequency-doubled microwave signal with a tunable frequency range from 11 GHz to 20 GHz and the frequency-quadrupled microwave signal with a tunable frequency range from 22.5 GHz to 26 GHz are generated. The phase noises of the fundamental, frequency-doubled and frequency-quadrupled signals at 10 k Hz offset frequency are-105.9 d Bc/Hz,-103.3 d Bc/Hz and-86.2 d Bc/Hz, respectively.

Numerical Analysis of Electrically Tunable Delay-Line with an SSB Modulator

By using an optical system simulator, we investigated the tunable delay-line with an optical SSB modulator and an optical fiber loop, where the delay can be controlled by the electric signal fed to the modulator.

Vector properties of a tunable random electromagnetic beam in non-Kolmogrov turbulence

Analytical formulas for a class of tunable random electromagnetic beams propagating in a turbulent atmosphere through a complex optical system are derived with the help of a tensor method. One finds that the far field intensity distribution is tunable by modulating the source correlation structure function. The on-axis spectral degree of polarization monotonically increases to the same value for different values of order M in free space while it returns to the initial value after propagating a sufficient distance in turbulence. Furthermore, it is revealed that the state of polarization is closely determined by the initial correlation structure rather than by the turbulence parameters.

A simplified tunable frequency interval optical frequency comb generator using a single continuous-wave laser

We propose and demonstrate a simplified and tunable frequency interval optical frequency comb(OFC) generator based on a dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator(DD-MZM) using a single continuous-wave(CW) laser and low-power radio frequency(RF) driven signal. A mathematical model for the scheme is established. The 21-and 29-mode OFCs with frequency interval ranging from 6 GHz to 40 GHz are obtained under DD-MZM driven by a low-power RF signal within a maximum bandwidth of 1.12 THz. The generated OFCs exhibit spectral flatnesses of less than 0.5 d B and 0.8 d B within bandwidths of 160 GHz and 400 GHz, respectively.

Tunable fiber laser based on a cascaded structure consisting of in-line MZI and traditional MZI

A tunable erbium-doped fiber（EDF） laser with a cascaded structure consisting of in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer（MZI） and traditional MZI is proposed. The transmission spectrum of the in-line MZI is modulated by the traditional MZI, which determines the period of the cascaded structure, while the in-line MZI＇s transmission spectrum is the outer envelope curve of the cascaded structure＇s transmission spectrum. A stable single-wavelength lasing operation is obtained at 1 527.14 nm. The linewidth is less than 0.07 nm with a side-mode suppression ratio（SMSR） over 48 d B. Fixing the in-line MZI structure on a furnace, when the temperature changes from 30 ℃ to 230 ℃, the central wavelength can be tuned within the range of 12.4 nm.

A continuously tunable microwave photonic notch filter with complex coefficient based on phase modulation

A continuously tunable microwave photonic notch filter with complex coefficient based on phase modulation is proposed and demonstrated. The complex coefficient is generated using a Fourier-domain optical processor(FD-OP) to control the amplitude and phase of the optical carrier and radio-frequency(RF) phase modulation sidebands. By controlling the FD-OP,the frequency response of the filter can be tuned in the full free spectral range(FSR) without changing the shape and the FSR of the frequency response. The results show that the center frequency of the notch filter can be continuously tuned from 17.582 GHz to 29.311 GHz with FSR of 11.729 GHz. The shape of the frequency response keeps unchanged when the phase is tuned.

Generation of ultra-wide and flat optical frequency comb based on electro-absorption modulator and frequency modulator

An ultra-wide and flat optical frequency comb(OFC) generation scheme using multiple continuous wave(CW) light sources based on electro-absorption modulator(EAM) and frequency modulator(FM) is proposed. In the scheme, each CW light source is broadened and modulated by the first EAM and FM, respectively. The second EAM is introduced to flatten the ultra-wide OFC lines. By setting the wavelength spacing of light sources equal to the bandwidth of sub-OFC, an ultra-wide OFC can be obtained. Principle analysis and simulation for the scheme are performed. The results show that in the case of a single light source, a tunable and flat OFC is obtained. With the increase of light sources, the bandwidth of the generated ultra-wide OFC expands rapidly. In the case of 28 light sources, a 22 GHz ultra-wide OFC with bandwidth of 16.52 THz can be generated.

Revisiting the laser frequency locking method using acousto-optic frequency modulation transfer spectroscopy

We present a laser frequency locking system based on acousto-optic modulation transfer spectroscopy（AOMTS）. Theoretical and experimental investigations are carried out to optimize the locking performance mainly from the view of the modulation frequency and index for the specific scheme of AOMTS. An FWHM linewidth of 63 kHz is achieved and the frequency stability in terms of Allan standard deviation reaches1.4 × 10^（-12） at 30 s. The frequency shifting capacity is validated throughout the acousto-optic modulator bandwidth while the laser is kept locked. This work offers a different but efficient choice for applications calling for both stabilized and tunable laser frequencies.

A near-infrared methane detection system using a 1.654 μm wavelength-modulated diode laser

By adopting a distributed feedback laser(DFBL) centered at 1.654 μm, a near-infrared(NIR) methane(CH4) detection system based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy(TDLAS) is experimentally demonstrated. A laser temperature control as well as wavelength modulation module is developed to control the laser's operation temperature. The laser's temperature fluctuation can be limited within the range of-0.02—0.02 °C, and the laser's emitting wavelength varies linearly with the temperature and injection current. An open reflective gas sensing probe is realized to double the absorption optical path length from 0.2 m to 0.4 m. Within the detection range of 0—0.01, gas detection experiments were conducted to derive the relation between harmonic amplitude and gas concentration. Based on the Allan deviation at an integral time of 1 s, the limit of detection(Lo D) is decided to be 2.952×10^(-5) with a path length of 0.4 m, indicating a minimum detectable column density of ~1.2×10^(-5) m. Compared with our previously reported NIR CH_4 detection system, this system exhibits some improvement in both optical and electrical structures, including the analogue temperature controller with less software consumption, simple and reliable open reflective sensing probe.

Microwave photonic notch filter with complex coefficient based on four wave mixing

A microwave photonic notch filter with a complex coefficient is proposed and demonstrated based on four wave mixing(FWM). FWM effect of two single-frequency laser beams occurs in a highly nonlinear fiber(HNLF), and multi-wavelength optical signals are generated and used to generate the multi-tap of microwave photonic filter(MPF). The complex coefficient is generated by using a Fourier-domain optical processor(FD-OP) to control the amplitude and phase of the optical carrier and phase modulation sidebands. The results show that this filter can be changed from bandpass filter to notch filter by controlling the FD-OP. The center frequency of the notch filter can be continuously tuned from 5.853 GHz to 29.311 GHz with free spectral range(FSR) of 11.729 GHz. The shape of the frequency response keeps unchanged when the phase is tuned.