Frequency comb-based microwave transfer over fiber with $7 times 10^{-19}$ instability using fiber-loop optical-microwave phase detectors

We demonstrate a remote microwave/radio-frequency (RF) transfer technique based on the stabilization of a fiber link using a fiber-loop optical-microwave phase detector (FLOM-PD). This method compensates for the excess phase fluctuations introduced in fiber transfer by direct phase comparison between the optical pulse train reflected from the remote site and the local microwave/RF signal using the FLOM-PD. This enables sub-fs resolution and long-term stable link stabilization while having wide timing detection range and less demand in fiber dispersion compensation. The demonstrated relative frequency instability between 2.856-GHz RF oscillators separated by a 2.3-km fiber link is $7.6 times 10^{-18}$ and $6.5 times 10^{-19}$ at 1000 s and 82500 s averaging time, respectively.

Gigahertz repetition rate, sub-femtosecond timing jitter optical pulse train directly generated from a mode-locked Yb:KYW laser

We show that a 1.13-GHz repetition rate optical pulse train with 0.70 fs high-frequency timing jitter (integration bandwidth of 17.5 kHz - 10 MHz, where the measurement instrument-limited noise floor contributes 0.41 fs in 10 MHz bandwidth) can be directly generated from a free-running, single-mode diode-pumped Yb:KYW laser mode-locked by single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-coated mirrors. To our knowledge, this is the lowest timing jitter optical pulse train with the GHz repetition rate ever measured. If this pulse train is used for direct sampling of 565-MHz signals (Nyquist frequency of the pulse train), the demonstrated jitter level corresponds to the projected effective-number-of-bit (ENOB) of 17.8, which is much higher than the thermal noise limit of 50-ohm load resistance (~14 bits).