All-fiber ring-cavity for frequency stability transfer at 1.55  μm

Area of Science:

• * Physics
• * Optical Engineering
• * Metrology

Background:

• * Accurate frequency references are crucial for advanced scientific and technological applications.
• * Existing methods for stability transfer can be complex or bulky.
• * There is a need for compact, stable frequency references in diverse environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To develop and demonstrate a compact system for transferring metrological frequency reference stability.
• * To investigate the performance and limitations of such a system.
• * To assess its suitability for embedded metrological applications.

Main Methods:

• * Frequency-locking one mode of a fiber-ring cavity to a 1.55 μm reference.
• * Locking an extended-cavity diode laser (ECDL) to the cavity mode for stability transfer.
• * Utilizing a second cavity to demonstrate stability transfer over a broad wavelength range.

Main Results:

• * The tunable ECDL achieved a relative frequency stability close to 10^-12 (minimum 6×10^-13 at 10 s).
• * Polarization fluctuations in fiber optic components were identified as the primary limitation.
• * Frequency stability transfer over 58 nm was demonstrated at the 4×10^-12 level.

Conclusions:

• * A compact and effective setup for frequency stability transfer has been realized.
• * The system's performance is suitable for embedded metrological applications, provided adequate insulation.
• * Further improvements may involve mitigating polarization sensitivity in fiber optic components.