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Updated: May 18, 2026
06:42
Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
Spectral linewidth preservation in parametric frequency combs seeded by dual pumps
Zhi Tong1, Andreas O J Wiberg, Evgeny Myslivets
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, USA. ztong@eng.ucsd.edu
Optics Express
|October 6, 2012
Summary
We developed a new method for creating wideband frequency combs with tunable pitch and low phase noise. This technique uses phase-correlated continuous-wave pumps to preserve linewidths across hundreds of generated tones.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Optical Engineering
- Quantum Optics
Background:
- Parametric frequency comb generation typically suffers from spectral linewidth broadening.
- Achieving wide bandwidths and precise pitch control in frequency combs remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel technique for generating programmable-pitch, wideband frequency combs.
- To achieve low phase noise and preserve spectral linewidth over a large number of generated tones.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cavity-less, multistage mixer driven by two tunable continuous-wave (CW) pump seeds.
- Employed phase-correlated CW pumps to mitigate spectral linewidth broadening inherent to parametric processes.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated parametric frequency combs with over 200-nm bandwidth.
- Characterized phase noise scaling to demonstrate linewidth preservation across more than 100 generated tones.
- Achieved programmable pitch control of the generated frequency comb.
Conclusions:
- The demonstrated technique offers a robust method for generating high-performance frequency combs.
- This approach enables precise control over comb parameters and maintains high spectral quality.
- The findings have implications for applications requiring spectrally pure, wideband light sources.
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