We propose a method to generate stabilized radio-frequency polarization modulation based on optical frequency combs. Two pulse trains with the same repetition rate and different offset frequencies generate arbitrary polarization states that are modulated at the offset frequency difference. Long-term stability of the polarization modulation is demonstrated with the modulation frequency at frep/2. Modulation at frep/4 is also demonstrated to show the flexibility of the technique. We employ an electrical delay line to fine-tune the polarization states that constitute the time-dependent modulation.
Optical frequency combs, with precise control of repetition rate and carrier-envelope-offset frequency, have revolutionized many fields, such as fine optical spectroscopy, optical frequency standards, ultra-fast science research, ultra-stable microwave generation and precise ranging measurement. However, existing high bandwidth frequency control methods have small dynamic range, requiring complex hybrid control techniques. To overcome this limitation, we develop a new approach, where a home-made intra-cavity electro-optic modulator tunes polarization state of laser signal rather than only optical length of the cavity, to steer frequencies of a nonlinear-polarization-rotation mode-locked laser. By taking advantage of birefringence of the whole cavity, this approach results in not only broadband but also relative large-dynamic frequency control. Experimental results show that frequency control dynamic range increase at least one order in comparison with the traditional intra-cavity electro-optic modulator technique. In additional, this technique exhibits less side-effect than traditional frequency control methods.
We demonstrate control and stabilization of an optical frequency comb generated by four-wave mixing in a monolithic microresonator with a mode spacing in the microwave regime (86 GHz). The comb parameters (mode spacing and offset frequency) are controlled via the power and the frequency of the pump laser, which constitutes one of the comb modes. Furthermore, generation of a microwave beat note at the combs mode spacing frequency is presented, enabling direct stabilization to a microwave frequency standard.
Optical-frequency combs enable measurement precision at the 20th digit, and accuracy entirely commensurate with their reference oscillator. A new direction in experiments is the creation of ultracompact frequency combs by way of nonlinear parametric optics in microresonators. We refer to these as microcombs, and here we report a silicon-chip-based microcomb optical clock that phase-coherently converts an optical-frequency reference to a microwave signal. A low-noise comb spectrum with 25 THz span is generated with a 2 mm diameter silica disk and broadening in nonlinear fiber. This spectrum is stabilized to rubidium frequency references separated by 3.5 THz by controlling two teeth 108 modes apart. The optical clocks output is the electronically countable 33 GHz microcomb line spacing, which features an absolute stability better than the rubidium transitions by the expected factor of 108. Our work demonstrates the comprehensive set of tools needed for interfacing microcombs to state-of-the-art optical clocks.
We demonstrate optical frequency comb Faraday rotation spectroscopy (OFC-FRS) for broadband interference-free detection of paramagnetic species. The system is based on a femtosecond doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator and a fast-scanning Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). The sample is placed in a DC magnetic field parallel to the light propagation. Efficient background suppression is implemented via switching the direction of the field on consecutive FTS scans and subtracting the consecutive spectra, which enables long term averaging. In this first demonstration, we measure the entire Q- and R-branches of the fundamental band of nitric oxide in the 5.2-5.4 {mu}m range and achieve good agreement with a theoretical model.
Continuously pumped passive nonlinear cavities can be harnessed for the creation of novel optical frequency combs. While most research has focused on third-order Kerr nonlinear interactions, recent studies have shown that frequency comb formation can also occur via second-order nonlinear effects. Here, we report on the formation of quadratic combs in optical parametric oscillator (OPO) configurations. Specifically, we demonstrate that optical frequency combs can be generated in the parametric region around half of the pump frequency in a continuously-driven OPO. We also model the OPO dynamics through a single time-domain mean-field equation, identifying previously unknown dynamical regimes, induced by modulation instabilities, which lead to comb formation. Numerical simulation results are in good agreement with experimentally observed spectra. Moreover, the analysis of the coherence properties of the simulated spectra shows the existence of correlated and phase-locked combs. Our results reveal previously unnoticed dynamics of an apparently well assessed optical system, and can lead to a new class of frequency comb sources that may stimulate novel applications by enabling straightforward access to elusive spectral regions, such as the mid-infrared.