Spectral line narrowing of a photonically generated microwave frequency comb with vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser mode-locked coupled oscillators

A technique is presented for narrowing the spectral linewidth of microwave signals generated photonically by heterodyning a pair of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers forming an extended optically coupled cavity. The experimentally demonstrated linewidth reduction, by as much as a factor of 10(...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics letters 2005-02, Vol.30 (3), p.266-268
Main Authors: MUSIC, H, PENDRILL, L. R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
Laser optical systems: design and operation
Modulation, tuning, and mode locking
Optics
Physics
Resonators, cavities, amplifiers, arrays, and rings
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A technique is presented for narrowing the spectral linewidth of microwave signals generated photonically by heterodyning a pair of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers forming an extended optically coupled cavity. The experimentally demonstrated linewidth reduction, by as much as a factor of 10(4)--to less than 10 kHz in microwave frequencies up to a couple of gigahertz--is approximately ten times that expected with conventional line-narrowing techniques such as optical feedback. An interpretation is given in terms of mode locking in pairs of optically coupled lasers as a first demonstration in the frequency domain of lag synchronization of coupled oscillators. The results of theoretical modeling agree well with the experimental results.
ISSN:0146-9592
1539-4794
DOI:10.1364/OL.30.000266