Ultralow phase noise microwave generation with an Er:fiber-based optical frequency divider

Published

August 15, 2011

Author(s)

Franklyn J. Quinlan, Tara M. Fortier, Matthew S. Kirchner, Jennifer A. Taylor, Michael J. Thorpe, Nathan D. Lemke, Andrew D. Ludlow, Yanyi Jiang, Christopher W. Oates, Scott A. Diddams

Abstract

We present an optical frequency divider based on a 200 MHz repetition rate Er:fiber mode-locked laser that, when locked to a stable optical frequency reference, generates microwave signals with absolute phase noise that is equal to or better than cryogenic microwave oscillators. At 1 Hz offset from a 10 GHz carrier, the phase noise is below -100 dBc/Hz, limited by the optical reference. For offset frequencies > 10 kHz, the phase noise is shot noise limited at -145 dBc/Hz. An analysis of the contribution of the residual noise from the Er:fiber optical frequency divider is also presented.

Citation

Optics Letters

Volume

36

Issue

16

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

fiber lasers, microwave photonics, optical frequency comb, phase noise

Citation

Quinlan, F. , Fortier, T. , Kirchner, M. , Taylor, J. , Thorpe, M. , Lemke, N. , Ludlow, A. , Jiang, Y. , Oates, C. and Diddams, S. (2011), Ultralow phase noise microwave generation with an Er:fiber-based optical frequency divider, Optics Letters (Accessed October 20, 2025)