A frequency-stabilized Yb:KYW femtosecond laser frequency comb and its application to low-phase noise microwave generation

Published

March 16, 2013

Author(s)

Scott A. Diddams, Stephanie Meyer, Tara M. Fortier, Steve Lecomte

Abstract

We present an optically-stabilized Yb:KYW fs-laser frequency comb. We use an f-2f nonlinear interferometer to measure the carrier envelope offset frequency (f₀) and the heterodyne beatnote between the comb and a stable CW laser at 1068 nm to detect fluctuations in the comb repetition rate (f_rep). Both of these degrees of freedom of the comb are then controlled using phase-locked loops. As a demonstration of the frequencystabilized comb, we generate low-phase-noise 10 GHz microwaves through detection of the pulse train on a high bandwidth photodiode. The Allan deviation of the resulting 10 GHz microwaves was measured to be -15 at 1 s by comparison to an independently-stabilized Ti:Sapphire frequency comb. This room-temperature, optically-based source of microwaves has close-to-carrier phase noise comparable to the very best cryogenic microwave oscillators.

Citation

Applied Physics B

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

Frequency comb, laser, microwaves, phase noise

Citation

Diddams, S. , Meyer, S. , Fortier, T. and Lecomte, S. (2013), A frequency-stabilized Yb:KYW femtosecond laser frequency comb and its application to low-phase noise microwave generation, Applied Physics B (Accessed October 13, 2025)