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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
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Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
Generation of phase-stabilized microwave frequency combs based on an actively mode-locked optoelectronic oscillator
Optics Express
|August 14, 2026
Summary
A new method generates a microwave frequency comb (MFC) with a stable phase. This technique uses active mode-locking optoelectronic oscillators (AML-OEO) and second harmonic injection locking (SHIL) for phase stabilization.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics
- Microwave Photonics
- Frequency Comb Generation
Background:
- Microwave frequency combs (MFCs) are crucial for precise frequency measurements.
- Stabilizing the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of MFCs is essential for advanced applications.
- Existing methods for CEP stabilization often require complex feedback control systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel approach for generating a phase-stabilized MFC.
- To eliminate the carrier-envelope offset (CEO) without active feedback control.
- To achieve ultralow frequency drift in MFC generation.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing an actively mode-locked optoelectronic oscillator (AML-OEO).
- Incorporating an octave filter for second harmonic injection locking (SHIL).
- Employing the second harmonic component from an electrical amplifier's nonlinearity as an injection signal to eliminate CEO.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated octave-spanning MFCs with repetition rates of 44.511 MHz, 89.022 MHz, and 133.533 MHz.
- Achieved stabilized carrier-envelope phases with ultralow frequency drifts (< 62 Hz/hour), an improvement of two orders of magnitude.
- Demonstrated tunable repetition rates and stabilized CEP using the combined AML and SHIL techniques.
Conclusions:
- The proposed AML-OEO with SHIL offers a robust method for generating phase-stabilized MFCs.
- This technique significantly reduces frequency drift without active feedback, simplifying instrumentation.
- The generated MFCs are promising for future instrumentation and metrology systems requiring high precision.
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