Measurement of absolute timing jitter of SESAM mode-locked lasers with yoctosecond sensitivity

Absolute timing jitter from a mode-locked laser is characterized with a record low noise floor of 122ys/Hz (1.5×10^-14s²/Hz). We develop a novel measurement technique using cross-spectrum methods in combination with a dual balanced optical cross-correlator system, with three independent low-noise mode-locked lasers.