Frequency-tunable photonic frequency synthesis from an optical frequency comb reference.

Abstract

We present an architecture for photonic-assisted RF signal synthesization that uses as a reference the optical repetition frequency of an optical frequency comb. The setup, which is based on a multiharmonic photonic phase frequency detector, enables a perfect phase-locking of a voltage-controlled oscillator to multiples and submultiples of the repetition frequency of the reference comb, operating hence as an optically referenced phase-locked frequency-tunable synthesizer. The design of the system, which is also capable of operating with RF reference inputs, is very well suited for highly stable signal generation and optical clock distribution networks, as signal synthesization is performed directly from the provided optical reference.