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Wideband tunable laser phase noise reduction using single sideband modulation in an electro-optical feed-forward
Firooz Aflatouni1, Hossein Hashemi
1Department of Electrical Engineering-Electrophysics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA. aflatoun@usc.edu
Optics Letters
|August 3, 2012
Summary
This study introduces a wideband laser phase noise reduction technique. The novel feed-forward method significantly reduces laser linewidth, enabling tunable, narrow-linewidth coherent light sources.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Laser Physics
- Signal Processing
Background:
- Laser phase noise limits the performance of coherent optical systems.
- Traditional linewidth reduction methods often require complex or bulky optical components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a wideband laser phase noise reduction scheme.
- To demonstrate a feed-forward cancellation technique for improved laser linewidth.
- To enable tunable, narrow-linewidth coherent light sources.
Main Methods:
- Single sideband modulation of laser optical field with discriminated phase noise.
- Implementation of a feed-forward phase noise cancellation system.
- Experimental validation using a 1549 nm distributed feedback laser.
Main Results:
- Achieved laser linewidth reduction from 7.5 MHz to 1.8 kHz.
- Demonstrated wideband phase noise cancellation independent of the light source.
- Showcased a tunable coherent light source with kilohertz linewidth over a 1530-1570 nm tuning range.
Conclusions:
- The proposed scheme effectively reduces laser phase noise without large optical resonators.
- The feed-forward approach is compatible with tunable lasers and maintains source tunability.
- This technique paves the way for versatile, high-performance tunable coherent light sources.
