Abstract
We derive the Schawlow-Townes linewidth of mode-locked lasers, and discuss how the timing jitter affects the linewidth in passively/actively mode-locked laser diodes (MLLD's). The linewidth of longitudinal modes of MLLD's is much broader than the Schawlow-Townes linewidth due to the linewidth enhancement factor of the gain medium, and its characteristics depend on whether the laser is mode-locked passively or actively. For the case of active mode-locking, the detuning of the modulation frequency from the natural cavity frequency broadens the linewidth. In the experiment, we measure the linewidth of 10-GHz external cavity MLLD's and investigate the correlation with the noise characteristics of timing jitter and amplitude noise of the pulse train. The experimental results agree well with theoretical predictions.
Published Version
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