GHz Figure‐9 Er‐Doped Optical Frequency Comb Based on Nested Fiber Ring Resonators

Abstract

AbstractThe field of optical‐frequency‐combs (OFCs) has seen significant progress in recent years due to the advance of mode‐locked fiber lasers with low‐noise performance and long‐term reliability. With the emergence of applications, OFCs with repetition rates close to GHz have become highly sought after. However, generating GHz fiber‐based combs with low noise remains a significant challenge. In this study, a GHz figure‐9 Er‐doped OFC based on a nested fiber ring resonator is presented. By matching the free‐spectral range (FSR) of external and internal optical resonators, an 11‐fold increase in repetition rate from 82 MHz to 907 MHz is achieved. Notably, it is demonstrated that a single pulse operation with long‐term FSR matching can be achieved without any active feedback control. The comb offset frequency is detected using f‐to‐2f technique to ensure high coherence between pulses, which is distinguished from harmonic mode‐locking. The results show that the nested resonators are capable of generating GHz ultrafast OFC pulses with low phase noise via a more flexible cavity design than conventional short‐cavity solutions. This work provides a valuable contribution to the field of ultrafast laser and optical metrology, which demonstrates the potential of nested‐resonators for generating low noise OFCs with boosted repetition rate.