Timing jitter in synchronized time-lens source for coherent Raman scattering imaging.

Abstract

Synchronized time-lens source is suitable for various applications in coherent Raman scattering (CRS) imaging up to video-rate. Timing jitter between the time-lens source and the mode-locked laser is a crucial parameter for estimating the synchronization performance. Although it has been measured experimentally, there is a lack of theoretical investigation of this parameter. Here we demonstrate numerical simulation results of timing jitter in a synchronized time-lens system, with parameters similar to those in real experiments. Our results show that due to the optical delay between the time-lens source and the mode-locked laser, the timing jitter is close to the intrinsic timing jitter of the mode-locked laser. Further reduction in timing jitter can be achieved by matching the optical delays between the time-lens source and the mode-locked laser.