Analysis of shot noise in the detection of ultrashort optical pulse trains

Published

May 31, 2013

Author(s)

Franklyn J. Quinlan, Tara M. Fortier, Haifeng (. Jiang, Scott A. Diddams

Abstract

We present a frequency domain model of shot noise in the photodetection of ultrashort optical pulse trains using a time-varying analysis. Shot noise-limited photocurrent power spectral densities, signal-to-noise expressions, and shot noise spectral correlations are derived that explicitly include the finite response of the photodetector. It is shown that the strength of the spectral correlations in the shot noise depends on the optical pulse width, and that these correlations can create orders-of-magnitude imbalance between the amplitude and phase noise of photonically-generated microwave carriers. It is also shown that only by accounting for spectral correlations can shot noise be equated with the fundamental quantum limit in the detection of optical pulse-to-pulse timing jitter.

Citation

The Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Volume

30

Issue

6

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

microwave photonics, phase noise, shot noise, ultrafast optics

Citation

Quinlan, F. , Fortier, T. , Jiang, H. and Diddams, S. (2013), Analysis of shot noise in the detection of ultrashort optical pulse trains, The Journal of the Optical Society of America B (Accessed August 26, 2025)