Cavity Length Control Research Articles

206 MHz fully stabilized all-PM dispersion-managed figure-9 fiber laser comb

High-repetition-rate optical frequency combs are useful for precision spectroscopy because of their high power per comb mode, but conventional high-repetition-rate lasers do not have a broad enough spectrum. In this study, a fully stabilized polarization-maintaining figure-9 mode-locked fiber laser with a high repetition rate of 206 MHz and a broad spectrum was demonstrated by employing simultaneous control of cavity dispersion and length. The laser exhibited a 3 dB spectral bandwidth of 88 nm and a compressed pulse width of 66 fs. Additionally, fCEO and frep phase locking were implemented, resulting in low (0.21 rad) in-loop carrier-envelope-offset frequency phase noise. To the best of our knowledge, this is the widest spectrum bandwidth and shortest pulse duration directly obtained from an all-PM figure-9 fiber laser oscillator to date. The combination of high repetition rate and broad spectral range makes this system very useful for a wide range of applications, especially in the field of precision spectroscopy.

In situ cavity length control of GaN-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with in situ reflectivity spectra measurements

We developed an in situ cavity length control of GaN-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with an in situ reflectivity spectra measurement. Firstly, a temperature dependence of a center wavelength of a 40-pair AlInN/GaN DBR was investigated, resulting in a 23 nm redshift from RT to GaN growth temperature of 1100 °C. Secondly, a periodic oscillation of a reflectivity intensity during the GaN cavity growth on the DBR was clearly observed, providing precise cavity length information. Thirdly, based on both the results, we performed the in situ GaN cavity length control, showing an accuracy within a 0.5% error. We finally demonstrated the in situ cavity length control of an actual GaN-based VCSEL structure containing n-layers, a GaInN active region, and p-layers by selecting different resonance wavelengths along with the corresponding growth temperatures for the layers.

High-precision micro-displacement sensing based on an optical filter and optoelectronic oscillators.

High-precision micro-displacement sensing based on an optical filter and optoelectronic oscillators (OEOs) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In this scheme, an optical filter is utilized to separate the carriers of the measurement and reference OEO loops. Through the optical filter, the common path structure can be consequently achieved. The two OEO loops share all optical/electrical components, except for the micro-displacement to be measured. Measurement and reference OEOs are alternately oscillated by using a magneto-optic switch. Therefore, self-calibration is achieved without additional cavity length control circuits, greatly simplifying the system. A theoretical analysis of the system is developed, and this analysis is then demonstrated with experiments. Regarding the micro-displacement measurements, we achieved a sensitivity of 312.058 kHz/mm and a measurement resolution of 356 pm. The measurement precision is less than 130 nm over a measurement range of 19 mm.

Investigation of pulse-to-pulse timing jitter in an ultrafast Cr:LiSAF laser for synchronization of radiation pulses

Timing jitter is closely related to the phase noise of ultrafast laser pulse train under different mode-locking regimes. Investigations have been made towards timing jitter for pulse-to-pulse Cr:LiSAF femtosecond laser, for usage as a seed laser in synchrotron light source. The laser produced about 180 fs of pulses with an 83.27 MHz pulse repetition rate, which corresponds to a 1.80 m cavity length. Mode-locking was passively achieved using semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) optimized for low threshold and stability operation. Active timing-jitter stabilization to an external high precision electronic oscillator was attained with a cavity length control loop using a piezoelectric actuator. Phase noise detection has been evaluated using a timing stabilizer system (CLX-1100) and a phase detector (AD8302). According to the results, the AD8302 phase detector has superior timing jitter sensitivity than the CLX-1100 timing stabilizer system. Ultra low-noise oscillator was introduced to improve the performance of the CLX-1100 timing stabilizer system, which has been evaluated from the phase noise of spectral density and reflected in the root mean square timing jitter. The low timing jitter of the laser pulses was sufficient to accomplish the synchrotron of the radiation source.

Low-threshold AlGaN-based UVB VCSELs enabled by post-growth cavity detuning

The performance of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) is strongly dependent on the spectral detuning between the gain peak and the resonance wavelength. Here, we use angle-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy to investigate the emission properties of AlGaN-based VCSELs emitting in the ultraviolet-B spectral range with different detuning between the photoluminescence peak of the quantum-wells and the resonance wavelength. Accurate setting of the cavity length, and thereby the resonance wavelength, is accomplished by using doping-selective electrochemical etching of AlGaN sacrificial layers for substrate removal combined with deposition of dielectric spacer layers. By matching the resonance wavelength to the quantum-wells photoluminescence peak, a threshold power density of 0.4 MW/cm2 was achieved, and this was possible only for smooth etched surfaces with a root mean square roughness below 2 nm. These results demonstrate the importance of accurate cavity length control and surface smoothness to achieve low-threshold AlGaN-based ultraviolet VCSELs.

Ultrasensitive fiber-based gas pressure sensor based on harmonic Vernier effect with enhanced contrast

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a highly sensitive gas pressure sensor in parallel configuration based on harmonic Vernier effect. The sensor consists of two segments of 75 μm hollow-core capillaries as the sensing and reference Fabry Perot cavity. An open passage is formed by a 5 μm capillary in the sensing cavity while the reference cavity is sealed by a single-mode fiber. A pressure sensitivity of 279.52 pm/kPa is achieved. Our scheme uses “air” instead of “silica” reference cavity, which allows higher sensitivity for a given accuracy of cavity length control. In addition, we also developed a “superposition envelope” method, which improves the contrast by at least 3 dB for the Vernier envelope. This design for high-sensitivity optic fiber gas sensor can be a good candidate for ultrasensitive gas pressure applications.

1.7 <bold>μ</bold>m self-synchronized picosecond pulsed random Raman fiber laser

Aiming at the structural complexity of the current 1.7 μm band short pulse lasers, we propose and implement a self-synchronized picosecond pulsed random Raman fiber laser. The half-open Raman cavity based on random distributed feedback is pumped by a 1 578 nm pulsed fiber laser to achieve a picosecond pulse output with a central wavelength of 1 695 nm and an average power of 224 mW. The composite cavity formed by distributed Rayleigh scattering automatically satisfies the synchronous pumping condition without the need for precise matching of cavity length or complex feedback control in the system. By inserting a wavelength division multiplexer in the cavity, the random sub-cavity noise is suppressed and the stability of the output pulse is improved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first realization of a random pulse fiber laser operating at 1.7 μm, which can be widely used in bioimaging and material processing. <fig fig-type="abstract-image" id="F1" orientation="portrait" position="float"><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="1000-2618-2022-39-4-363/7A9ED982-4F80-49df-B290-3AA8759A767B-F001.jpg"/></fig>

Improving the stability of frequency-dependent squeezing with bichromatic control of filter cavity length, alignment, and incident beam pointing

Frequency dependent squeezing is the main upgrade for achieving broadband quantum noise reduction in upcoming observation runs of gravitational wave detectors. The proper frequency dependence of the squeezed quadrature is obtained by reflecting squeezed vacuum from a Fabry-Perot filter cavity detuned by half of its linewidth. However, since the squeezed vacuum contains no classical amplitude, co-propagating auxiliary control beams are required to achieve the filter cavity's length, alignment, and incident beam pointing stability. In our frequency dependent squeezing experiment at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, we used a control beam at a harmonic of squeezed vacuum wavelength and found visible detuning variation related to the suspended mirrors angular drift. These variations can degrade interferometer quantum noise reduction. We investigated various mechanisms that can cause the filter cavity detuning variation. The detuning drift is found to be mitigated sufficiently by fixing the incident beam pointing and applying filter cavity automatic alignment. It was also found that there is an optimal position of the beam on the filter cavity mirror that helps to reduce the detuning fluctuations. Here we report a stabilized filter cavity detuning variation of less than 10$\,$Hz compared to the 113$\,$Hz cavity linewidth. Compared to previously published results [Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 171101 (2020)], such detuning stability would be sufficient to make filter cavity detuning drift induced gravitational wave detector detection range fluctuation reduce from $11\%$ to within $2\%$.

Switchable transverse mode operation of a fiber laser with an external feedback cavity

In this paper, we demonstrate a switchable transverse mode operation fiber laser. Lasing in a specific transverse mode is enabled by employing a Fabry–Pérot (F-P) cavity forming an external feedback cavity architecture as an effective transverse mode selector. High spatial quality tunable output modes, including vector vortex beam, orbital angular momentum (OAM) vortex beam and flat-topped beam, could be achieved by optimizing the cavity length and appropriate polarization control. The purity of the vector vortex beam is more than 95%. The topological charge of the OAM mode can be tuned from −1 to +1. The purity of the ±1 OAM vortex beams are all more than 95%. The normalized root mean square of the flat-topped beam is 0.035 and the steep degree is 0.815. Furthermore, this approach has great scalability and can be applied to other modes and spectral regimes.

Design of a Littrow-type diode laser with independent control of cavity length and grating rotation.

We present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, extended-cavity diode laser based on a modified Littrow configuration. The coarse wavelength adjustment via the rotation of a diffraction grating is decoupled from the fine tuning of the external cavity modes by positioning a piezo transducer behind the diode laser, making the laser robust against misalignment and hysteresis even with long external cavities. Two laser prototypes with external cavities of different lengths were tested with a 780 nm laser diode, and locked to an atomic reference. We observed a mode-hop-free frequency tunability broader than the free spectral range of the external cavity upon changes in its length. The design is well suited to atomic and molecular experiments demanding a high level of stability over time.

Cavity length control for Fourier domain mode locked (FDML) lasers with µm precision.

In highly dispersion compensated Fourier domain mode locked (FDML) lasers, an ultra-low noise operation can only be achieved by extremely precise and stable matching of the filter tuning period and light circulation time in the cavity. We present a robust and high precision closed-loop control algorithm and an actively cavity length controlled FDML laser. The cavity length control achieves a stability of ∼0.18 mHz at a sweep repetition rate of ∼418 kHz which corresponds to a ratio of 4×10-10. Furthermore, we prove that the rapid change of the cavity length has no negative impact on the quality of optical coherence tomography using the FDML laser as light source.

Diamond sodium guide star laser.

Laser guide stars based on the mesospheric sodium layer are becoming increasingly important for applications that require correction of atmospheric scintillation effects. Despite several laser approaches being investigated to date, there remains great interest in developing lasers with the necessary power and spectral characteristics needed for brighter single or multiple guide stars. Here we propose and demonstrate a novel, to the best of our knowledge, approach based on a diamond Raman laser with intracavity Type I second-harmonic generation pumped using a 1018.4 nm fiber laser. A first demonstration with output power of 22 W at 589 nm was obtained at 18.6% efficiency from the laser diode. The laser operates in a single longitudinal mode (SLM) with a measured linewidth of less than 8.5 MHz. The SLM operation is a result of the strong mode competition arising from the combination of a spatial-hole-burning-free gain mechanism in the diamond and the role of sum frequency mixing in the harmonic crystal. Continuous tuning through the Na D line resonance is achieved by cavity length control, and broader tuning is obtained via the tuning of the pump wavelength. We show that the concept is well suited to achieve much higher power and for temporal formats of interest for advanced concepts such as time-gating and Larmor frequency enhancement.

国外差分吸收激光雷达探测大气CO 2 研究综述

Differential absorption lidar is an indispensable tool to measure atmospheric CO2 for temporal and spatial distribution. The 2.0 μm wavelength Ho:Tm:YLF/Ho:Tm:LuLiF lidar were used for remote sensing atmospheric CO2 with heterodyne receiver. The KTP parametric oscillator was injected into the seeds, and a differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system of 1.6 μm by using the photon counting technique to profile the atmospheric CO2 in the troposphere under 7 km. Modulation continuous wave seed laser intensity and the integral path differential absorption lidar, common 1.6 μm optical fiber amplifier, and the use of correlation detection technique, have unique advantages and characteristics in the detection of atmospheric CO2 column concentrations. The space program for detecting atmospheric CO2 column concentrations is NASA's ASENDS (active sensing of CO2 emission over nights, days, and seasons) mission which adopts the method of pulse and integral path differential absorption. The absorption of CO2 gas cell as a reference to stabilize seed light frequency and the precise control of cavity length lock the on-line wavelength of transmitter, is the key technique for DIAL to measure atmospheric CO2.

Coherent beam combining and noise analysis of a colliding pulse modelocked VECSEL.

Optically-pumped SESAM-modelocked semiconductor disk lasers have become interesting ultrafast lasers with gigahertz pulse repetition rates, high average power and adjustable lasing wavelength. It is well established that colliding pulse modelocking (CPM) can generate both shorter pulses and improved stability. These improvements however typically come at the expense of a more complex ring cavity and two output beams. So far similar modelocking results have been obtained with CPM vertical external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) and with SESAM-modelocked VECSELs or modelocked integrated external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (MIXSELs) in a linear cavity. However coherent beam combining of the two output beams of a CPM VECSEL could result in a significantly higher peak power. This is interesting for example for applications in biomedical microscopy and frequency metrology. Here we demonstrate with a more detailed noise analysis that for both output beams of a CPM VECSEL the pulse repetition rates and the carrier envelope offset frequencies are locked to each other. In contrast to standard SESAM-modelocked VECSELs in a linear cavity, we only have been able to actively stabilize the pulse repetition rate of the CPM VECSEL by cavity length control and not by pump-power control. Furthermore, a first coherent beam combining experiment of the two output beams is demonstrated.

Sub-nanosecond laser induced air-breakdown with giant-pulse duration tuned Nd:YAG ceramic micro-laser by cavity-length control.

We first demonstrated a continuously and widely giant-pulse duration tunable laser based on a short monolithic Nd:YAG/Cr:YAG ceramic by cavity-length control in 100 Hz operation. The tuning range of pulse duration τ was from 0.5 to 9 ns as keeping peak powers of over 0.5 MW up to 6 MW. The characteristics of the ceramic laser was discussed in detail such as cavity-length dependent beam pattern and divergence, pulse shape, pulse energy due to the transverse and longitudinal modes, and an elliptical polarization status. Laser induced breakdown in laboratory air was investigated as a function of τ in sub-nanosecond region using the developed laser. Air-breakdown threshold intensity Ith was measured using three different focusing conditions. We confirmed that 1) the measured Ith was almost constant at the longer τ than τCI named as limit-pulse-duration of cascade ionization (CI), 2) Ith had ~τ-2 scaling for τ < τCI, 3) the increase of Ith is not connected to a specific intensity level, and 4) τCI was not constant and depended on focusing conditions. These phenomena were discussed with considering temporal-spatial intensity of laser.

High Multiplexing of Coherent-Cavity Combining Fiber Laser by Cavity Length Control

High Multiplexing of Coherent-Cavity Combining Fiber Laser by Cavity Length Control

Model-based, closed-loop control of PZT creep for cavity ring-down spectroscopy

Cavity ring-down spectrometers typically employ a PZT stack to modulate the cavity transmission spectrum. While PZTs ease instrument complexity and aid measurement sensitivity, PZT hysteresis hinders the implementation of cavity-length-stabilized, data-acquisition routines. Once the cavity length is stabilized, the cavity’s free spectral range imparts extreme linearity and precision to the measured spectrum’s wavelength axis. Methods such as frequency-stabilized cavity ring-down spectroscopy have successfully mitigated PZT hysteresis, but their complexity limits commercial applications. Described herein is a single-laser, model-based, closed-loop method for cavity length control.

Nonpolar III-nitride vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers with a polarization ratio of 100% fabricated using photoelectrochemical etching

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) band gap selective undercut etching is discussed as an alternative technique to chemical-mechanical polishing and laser-lift off for substrate removal for III-nitride vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). A top-down PEC etch is also described, which offers the ability to epitaxially define an etch-stop layer, thereby achieving a high degree of cavity length control. The temperature-dependent lasing characteristics of m-plane VCSELs fabricated using PEC etching techniques are analyzed. Measurements of multiple VCSELs from the same wafer yielded lasing emission polarized along the a-direction with a polarization ratio of 100%, indicating that the entire array was uniformly polarized.

250-GHz Passive Harmonic Mode-Locked Er-Doped Fiber Laser by Dissipative Four-Wave Mixing With Silicon-Based Micro-Ring

We propose and demonstrate a 250-GHz high-repetition-rate mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser, which utilizes a silicon micro-ring resonator (SMRR). The SMRR acts as an optical comb filter to help achieve passive mode-locking through the dissipative four-wave-mixing effect induced by a piece of high nonlinear fiber. A short section of polarization-maintaining fiber is inserted in the cavity to induce birefringence filtering to significantly enhance the stability of the proposed laser through the combined effects of optical filtering and nonlinear spectral broadening. The laser can operate about 2 and 6 nm in the case of 1.48-ps and 875-fs output pulsewidth, with 3-dB bandwidth, respectively. The laser can remain mode locked, during our measurement time, without any cavity length or temperature feedback control.

Experimental test of higher-order Laguerre–Gauss modes in the 10 m Glasgow prototype interferometer

Brownian noise of dielectric mirror coatings is expected to be one of the limiting noise sources, at the peak sensitivity, of next generation ground based interferometric gravitational wave (GW) detectors. The use of higher-order Laguerre–Gauss (LG) beams has been suggested to reduce the effect of coating thermal noise in future generations of gravitational wave detectors. In this paper we describe the first test of interferometry with higher-order LG beams in an environment similar to a full-scale gravitational wave detector. We compare the interferometric performance of higher-order LG modes and the fundamental mode beams, injected into a 10 m long suspended cavity that features a finesse of 612, a value chosen to be typical of future gravitational wave detectors. We found that the expected mode degeneracy of the injected LG3, 3 beam was resolved into a multiple peak structure, and that the cavity length control signal featured several nearby zero crossings. The break up of the mode degeneracy is due to an astigmatism (defined as |Rcy − Rcx|) of 5.25 ± 0.5 cm on one of our cavity mirrors with a radius of curvature (Rc) of 15 m. This observation agrees well with numerical simulations developed with the FINESSE software. We also report on how these higher-order mode beams respond to the misalignment and mode mismatch present in our 10 m cavity. In general we found the LG3, 3 beam to be considerably more susceptible to astigmatism and mode mismatch than a conventional fundamental mode beam. Therefore the potential application of higher-order Laguerre–Gauss beams in future gravitational wave detectors will impose much more stringent requirements on both mode matching and mirror astigmatism.