Frequency metrology with a turnkey all-fiber system

Area of Science:

• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
• Metrology and Measurement Science

Background:

• Optical frequency combs are essential tools for high-precision frequency measurements.
• Traditional systems often rely on Ti:sapphire lasers, requiring user adjustments.
• A need exists for more stable and user-friendly frequency comb systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a fully turnkey, all-fiber-based optical frequency comb.
• To demonstrate phase-locking to a hydrogen maser for absolute frequency determination.
• To evaluate the performance of the novel system against traditional Ti:sapphire combs.

Main Methods:

• Phase locking the repetition rate and carrier-envelope offset frequencies of an all-fiber continuum generator to a hydrogen maser.
• Calibrating the hydrogen maser frequency against a cesium atomic clock.
• Performing absolute frequency measurements in the telecommunications region and at 1064 nm.

Main Results:

• A fully phase-locked optical frequency comb with well-defined absolute frequencies was achieved.
• The all-fiber system demonstrated performance comparable to Ti:sapphire-based systems.
• The developed system requires no user-adjustable parts, enhancing its turnkey nature.

Conclusions:

• The developed all-fiber optical frequency comb represents a significant advancement in user-friendly metrology.
• This turnkey system offers a robust platform for precise frequency measurements.
• The results validate the potential of all-fiber technology for advanced optical frequency comb applications.