Method and apparatus for generation of coherent frequency combs
First Claim
1. An apparatus for generating a frequency comb, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical source providing a first optical wave characterized by a first center frequency and a first spectral linewidth;
an optical modulator optically coupled to the optical source and operable to transform the first optical wave into at least two second optical waves that are phase-correlated with respect to each other and characterized by respective second center frequencies separated by a frequency spacing; and
a nonlinear optical medium optically coupled to the optical modulator and operable to receive the at least two second optical waves and to output a plurality of third optical waves characterized by respective third center frequencies separated by the frequency spacing, wherein each of the plurality of third optical waves is characterized by the first spectral linewidth.
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Abstract
Embodiments of the invention provide apparatuses and methods for phase correlated seeding of parametric mixer and for generating coherent frequency combs. The parametric mixer may use two phase-correlated optical waves with different carrier frequencies to generate new optical waves centered at frequencies differing from the input waves, while retaining the input wave coherent properties. In the case when parametric mixer is used to generate frequency combs with small frequency pitch, the phase correlation of the input (seed) waves can be achieved by electro-optical modulator and a single master laser. In the case when frequency comb possessing a frequency pitch that is larger than frequency modulation that can be affected by electro-optic modulator, the phase correlation of the input (seed) waves is achieved by combined use of an electro-optical modulator and injection locking to a single or multiple slave lasers.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus for generating a frequency comb, the apparatus comprising:
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an optical source providing a first optical wave characterized by a first center frequency and a first spectral linewidth; an optical modulator optically coupled to the optical source and operable to transform the first optical wave into at least two second optical waves that are phase-correlated with respect to each other and characterized by respective second center frequencies separated by a frequency spacing; and a nonlinear optical medium optically coupled to the optical modulator and operable to receive the at least two second optical waves and to output a plurality of third optical waves characterized by respective third center frequencies separated by the frequency spacing, wherein each of the plurality of third optical waves is characterized by the first spectral linewidth. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of generating a frequency comb, the method comprising:
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modulating a first optical wave characterized by a first center frequency and a first spectral linewidth to generate at least two second optical waves phase-correlated with respect to each other and characterized by respective second center frequencies separated from each other by a frequency spacing; and mixing the at least two second optical waves via a nonlinear optical medium to generate a plurality of third optical waves characterized by respective third center frequencies separated from each other by the frequency spacing, wherein each of the plurality of third optical waves is characterized by the first spectral linewidth. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for generating a frequency comb, the apparatus comprising:
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an optical modulator operable to transform a first optical wave into at least two second optical waves superimposed on each other, wherein the first optical wave is characterized by a first center frequency and a first spectral linewidth, and the at least two second optical waves are phase-correlated with respect to each other and characterized by respective second center frequencies separated from each other by a frequency spacing; a wave splitter having an input port and at least two output ports, the input port being optically coupled to the optical modulator, wherein the wave splitter is operable to split the at least two second optical waves into at least two separate second optical waves at the respective output ports; a set of slave laser sources, wherein each slave laser source is coupled to a respective output port of the wave splitter and operable to emit a respective third optical wave at a respective second center frequency via injection locking; a wave combiner operable to combine the third optical waves emitted by the set of slave laser sources; a nonlinear optical medium optically coupled to the wave combiner and operable to input the third optical waves and to output a plurality of fourth optical waves characterized by respective third center frequencies separated from each other by the frequency spacing, wherein each of the plurality of fourth optical waves is characterized by the first spectral linewidth. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification