Heterodyne beatings between frequency-shifted feedback lasers

Frequency-shifted feedback (FSF) lasers are potential candidates for long distance telemetry due to the appearance of beatings in the noise spectrum at the output of a homodyne interferometer: the frequencies of these beatings vary linearly with the path delay. In this Letter we demonstrate that these beatings also occur in the heterodyne mixing of two identical, but distinct, FSF lasers. This phenomenon is explained by the passive cavity model and is exploited to characterize the time-spectrum properties of FSF lasers. Consequences on telemetry with FSF lasers are presented.     

Coherence in the output spectrum of frequency shifted feedback lasers

We present a detailed theoretical analysis, using correlation functions, of the coherence properties of the output from a frequency shifted feedback (FSF) laser seeded simultaneously by an external seed laser and by spontaneous emission (SE). We show that the output of a FSF laser is a cyclostationary process, for which the second-order correlation function is not stationary, but periodic. However, a period-averaged correlation function can be used to analyze the optical spectrum. From the fourth-order correlation function of the output of a Michelson interferometer we obtain the essential characteristics of the radio-frequency (RF) spectrum, needed for describing the use of the FSF laser for optical-ranging metrology. We show that, even for a FSF laser seeded by SE, the RF spectrum comprises a sequence of doublets, whose separation gives directly a measure of the length difference between the interferometer arms. This doublet structure is a result of the correlation of interference terms of individual components of the cyclostationary stochastic process. It is not seen in the optical spectrum of the FSF laser but is observable in the RF spectrum. We analyze the competition between SE and continuous wave (CW) seeding to obtain an analytical expression for the ratio of power in the discrete CW signal to the background continuum spectrum from SE. We show that, unlike mode competition in conventional lasers, where there occurs exponential selectivity, here there is a balance between the two fields; the power in the fields is related linearly, rather than exponentially, to the control parameters.     

Narrow-linewidth chirped frequency comb from a frequency-shifted feedback Ti:sapphire laser seeded by a phase-modulated single-frequency fiber laser

Frequency-shifted feedback (FSF) lasers have emerged as powerful tools for precision distance metrology. At the output of a Michelson interferometer, the detected rf spectra of the FSF laser light contain a length-dependent heterodyne beat signal whose linewidth ultimately limits the achievable accuracy of length measurements. Here, we demonstrate a narrow-linewidth chirped frequency comb from an FSF Ti:sapphire ring laser seeded by a phase-modulated, ultra-low-phase-noise, single-frequency fiber laser. We experimentally investigate the influence of the seed laser linewidth on the resulting width and shape of the length-dependent rf beat signal. An ultranarrow heterodyne beat linewidth of <20 Hz is observed.     

High contrast linking six lasers to a 1 GHz Yb:fiber laser frequency comb

We demonstrate a 0.95 GHz repetition rate fully stabilized Yb:fiber frequency comb without optical amplification. Benefitting from the high mode power and high coherence, this comb achieved 35 to 42 dB signal to noise ratio on the direct heterodyne beat signals with at least six continuous wave lasers(at 580, 679, 698, 707, 813, and922 nm) while keeping 40 dB carrier envelope frequency signal. It can be used for the direct measurement of optical frequencies at visible and near-infrared wavelengths and has great potential on simultaneous comparison of multiple optical frequencies.     

Broadband phase-coherent optical frequency synthesis with actively linked Ti:sapphire and Cr:forsterite femtosecond lasers

We link the output spectra of a Ti:sapphire and a Cr:forsterite femtosecond laser phase coherently to form a continuous frequency comb with a wavelength coverage of 0.57-1.45 microm at power levels of 1 nW to 40 microW per frequency mode. To achieve this, the laser repetition rates and the carrier-envelope offset frequencies are phase locked to each other. The coherence time between the individual components of the two combs is 40 micros. The timing jitter between the lasers is 20 fs. The combined frequency comb is self-referenced for access to its overall offset frequency. We report the first demonstration to our knowledge of an extremely broadband and continuous, high-powered and phase-coherent frequency comb from two femtosecond lasers with different gain media.     

Many-wavelength interferometry with thousands of lasers for absolute distance measurement

We demonstrate a new technique for absolute distance measurement with a femtosecond frequency comb laser, based on unraveling the output of an interferometer to distinct comb modes with 1?GHz spacing. From the fringe patterns that are captured with a camera, a distance is derived by combining spectral and homodyne interferometry, exploiting about 9000 continuous wave lasers. This results in a measurement accuracy far within an optical fringe (λ/30), combined with a large range of nonambiguity (15?cm). Our technique merges multiwavelength interferometry and spectral interferometry, within a single scheme.     

Comparison of Brillouin-Raman comb fiber laser in two different configurations

The properties of a Brillouin-Raman comb fiber laser are compared for two different configurations: co-propagating and counter-propagating Raman pump. The optical spectrum is compared for changing the Raman pump power and the power or the wavelength of seed laser. A Brillouin-Raman comb with 400 linewidth lasers in a flat-amplitude bandwidth of 32 nm between 1538 and 1570 nm, with an average optical power 20 dB above the nearby frequencies was generated. The lasers in the comb had an OSNR of 20 dB and a wavelength spacing of 0.08 nm. The results for the counter-propagating configuration were observed to have better quality.     

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 frequency-doubling 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 dB. 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 acetylene-stabilized 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.     

Controlling the frequency of the frequency-shifted feedback fiber laser using injection-seeding technique

In this paper we describe the stabilization of the optical frequency comb (OFC) generated by the frequency-shifted feedback (FSF) erbium fiber laser. Frequency of the comb is controlled using the distributed feedback laser diode seeded into the cavity of the FSF laser. When the DFB diode is stabilized to the molecular absorption line of hydrogen cyanide frequency stabilized OFC is obtained.     

Experimental characterization of an Yb-doped fiber ring laser with frequency-shifted feedback

We present experimental characteristics of an Yb³⁺-doped fiber ring laser operating with frequency-shifted feedback (FSF) through an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) and seeded by both a stationary continuous-wave (CW) laser and spontaneous emission. We show the spectrum and output characteristics for operations with several effective gain bandwidths, as established by Fabry-Perot etalons inside the cavity. Observation using a high finesse Fabry-Perot interferometer shows that, as expected from earlier work, although the spectrum of the FSF laser without seeding is continuous, when seeded by a CW-laser the spectrum consists of a comb of discrete modes, each offset from the seed by an integer number of AOM frequency shifts. The experimental results are in excellent quantitative agreement with the theory developed earlier [L. Yatsenko, B.W. Shore, K. Bergmann, Opt. Commun. 236 (2004) 183].     

孪生光束干涉法测量光源的空间相干性

定量测定光源空间相干性在部分相干光成像, 非相干全息术及光信息处理领域具有重要的研究价值. 本文基于三角全息干涉光路提出了一种测量光源空间相干性的新方法. 利用三角干涉全息光路系统中分束镜产生的孪生光束进行干涉获得干涉图, 通过调整光源中心位置在写入平面内偏离光轴的量, 改变两孪生光束空间分离量的大小, 采集对应的一系列干涉图, 计算干涉图样的对比度, 从而对光源照明空间的波前上一系列不同距离的点对之间的空间复相干度进行测量. 实验系统光路配置较为简单且不需要使用特殊加工的光学元件. 针对一个准单色的扩展光源设计并进行实验, 结果表明利用文中提出的方法可以准确的测量光源的空间相干性, 实验结果相对于理论计算值的误差仅为3.8%. 关键词： 相干性 全息干涉 干涉仪 光学应用     

半导体光放大光纤环形激光器的偏振混沌与相干性

研究了基于半导体光放大器(SOA)的光纤环形激光器的偏振混沌光的特性及其相干性。实验采集激光器的输出功率和偏振度,得到了基于半导体光放大器的光纤环形激光器的输出从自发辐射到受激辐射、再到偏振态混沌激光辐射的演化过程。利用马赫-曾德尔(M-Z)干涉仪验证了混沌激光的相干性,并发现混沌干涉只有零级。测量不同光程差时干涉仪的输出功率,计算相应的干涉条纹可见度,进一步算得混沌激光的相干时间约为40 ps。这一结果与根据光谱计算的该混沌激光的相干时间43 ps基本一致。实验还测得该混沌激光的相干性与半导体光放大器的电流无关。并指出了混沌激光相干应用于低相干光源探测领域的灵敏度和分辨力优势。     

Compact laser system for atom interferometry

We describe an optical bench in which we lock the relative frequencies or phases of a set of three lasers in order to use them in a cold atom interferometry experiment. As a new feature, the same two lasers serve alternately to cool atoms and to realize the atomic interferometer. This requires a fast change of the optical frequencies over a few GHz. The number of required independent laser sources is then only three, which enables the construction of the whole laser system on a single transportable optical bench. Recent results obtained with this optical setup are also presented. PACS 32.80.Pj; 42.50.Vk; 39.20.+q     

光频链接的双光梳气体吸收光谱测量

双光梳光谱技术以其无运动部件快速采样、高分辨率探测等优势成为宽带激光光谱测量中的热点技术.但受限于常用微波锁定双光梳光源间的噪声特性,双光梳光谱技术仍难以发挥其探测潜能.本文报道一种光频域互相链接的双光梳光谱探测方案.通过将两台激光器的偏置频率同时锁定到一个窄线宽激光器上,既免去了结构复杂且成本高昂的非线性自参考系统,又将双光梳间的共同参考点设置到了光频范围,抑制了双光梳光谱采样抖动,实现光谱探测性能的提升.~(13)C_2H_2的ν_1+ν_3 P支光谱数据测量数据分析结果表明:谱线位置与文献结果符合良好,光谱分辨率为0.086 cm~(-1),信噪比200:1(62.5 ms,100幅平均),相应的秒均噪声等效吸收系数达6.0×10~(-6)cm~(-1)·Hz~(-1/2).该工作为双光梳光谱测量的实际应用提供了一种高精度、低成本、易于实现的解决方案.     

Pulse timing-jitter reduction by incoherent addition

A new technique is proposed and demonstrated for reducing the timing jitter of a mode-locked laser diode by use of fiber-optic interferometers with an optical path difference much longer than the laser's coherence length. At the output of the interferometer the intensities of the two pulse trains are incoherently added, giving rise to the cancellation of timing noise at specific Fourier frequencies determined by the path difference. The timing jitter of pulse trains emitted by a 19.444-GHz mode-locked laser is reduced to 0.991 and 0.874 ps for 100-kHz-18-MHz bandwidth after the pulse trains pass through a cascaded Mach-Zehnder and a ring interferometer, respectively.     

Wavelength-spacing continuously tunable multi-wavelength SOA-fiber ring laser based on Mach–Zehnder interferometer

A Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) which is used as a wavelength-spacing tunable comb filter in a fiber ring laser is built by employing an optical variable delay line (OVDL). Stable multi-wavelength semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-fiber ring laser based on an SOA and the MZI comb filter is achieved. Wavelength spacing can be continuously tuned by adjusting the OVDL and, as an example, multi-wavelength lasing with the wavelength spacing of 0.4, 0.8, or 1.6 nm is demonstrated. The output of the proposed multi-wavelength SOA-fiber ring laser is quite stable at room temperature and the output spectrum can be adjusted by controlling the bias current of the SOA.     

Generation of a reference frequency comb by cascaded four-wave mixing enhanced by Raman amplification

The generation of standard reference frequencies close to the ITU channels is essential for the frequency calibration of DWDM systems. This paper describes the generation of a reference frequency comb based on the combination of a cascaded four-wave mixing in two semiconductor optical amplifiers and Raman amplification in a dispersion-shifted optical fiber. As a result we have achieved a stable frequency comb with 36 reference lines separated by a constant frequency spacing of 177 GHz. The seed of the comb is combination of two narrow-linewidth semiconductor lasers which are locked to two absorption lines of the acetylene (¹²C₂H₂).     

Coherence effect on the measurement of optical fiber nonlinear coefficient

We investigated a source coherence effect on the measurement of the optical fiber nonlinear coefficient by use of dual optical frequencies. We produced coherent and incoherent dual optical frequencies with a self-heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer with and without a delay line, respectively. Our measurement results included both an electrostrictive and a Kerr nonlinear coefficient because of the low modulation frequency. Comparing the coherent case with an incoherent case, we obtained a nonlinear coefficient that was more than 3% higher in the coherent case.