© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

Applied Optics

Transportable cavity-stabilized laser system for optical carrier frequency transmission experiments

B. Parker, Giuseppe Marra, L. A. M. Johnson, Helen S. Margolis, Stephen A. Webster, Louise Wright, S.N. Lea, Patrick Robert Gill, Polina Bayvel

Published Nov 26, 2014• 9 citations

Abstract

We report the design and performance of a transportable laser system at 1543 nm, together with its application as the source for a demonstration of optical carrier frequency transmission over 118 km of an installed dark fiber network. The laser system is based around an optical reference cavity featuring an elastic mounting that bonds the cavity to its support, enabling the cavity to be transported without additional clamping. The cavity exhibits passive fractional frequency insensitivity to vibration along the optical axis of 2.0×10(-11) m(-1) s(2). With active fiber noise cancellation, the optical carrier frequency transmission achieves a fractional frequency instability, measured at the user end, of 2.6×10(-16) at 1 s, averaging down to below 3×10(-18) after 20,000 s. The fractional frequency accuracy of the transfer is better than 3×10(-18). This level of performance is sufficient for comparison of state-of-the-art optical frequency standards and is achieved in an urban fiber environment.

DOI: 10.1364/ao.53.008157

Related papers

Long-distance ultrastable frequency transfer over urban fiber link: toward a European network

F. Kéfélian, Haifeng Jiang, Olivier Lopez +3 more

Experiments of transmission of sub-Hz cavity-stabilized 1542 nm laser frequency using a pair of 43 km dark fibers in urban environment are reported on successively 86 km and 172 km, with fractional frequency instability in the 10-19 range. A new approach is then introduced consisting in using part of an optical telecommunications network carrying simultaneously data traffic using a DWDM scheme to multiplex the metrological signal. This method is experimentally implemented using 22 km of fiber linking Université Paris 13 to its internet access point without degradation of the link instability. We finally present a project of large scale link between Paris and the German border using RENATER network which could constitute the first step of the building of a European optical network for ultrastable frequency dissemination and comparison.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Aug 20, 2009•2 citations

Optical frequency transfer via 146 km fiber link with 10^−19 relative accuracy

Gesine Grosche, Osama Terra, Katharina Predehl +5 more

We demonstrate the long-distance transmission of an ultrastable optical frequency derived directly from a state-of-the-art optical frequency standard. Using an active stabilization system we deliver the frequency via a 146-km-long underground fiber link with a fractional instability of 3 x 10(-15) at 1 s, which is close to the theoretical limit for our transfer experiment. After 30,000 s, the relative uncertainty for the transfer is at the level of 1 x 10(-19). Tests with a very short fiber show that noise in our stabilization system contributes fluctuations that are 2 orders of magnitude lower, namely, 3 x 10(-17) at 1 s, reaching 10(-20) after 4,000 s.

arXiv:0904.2679•Optics Letters•Jul 17, 2009•161 citations

Development of ultra-stable laser sources and long-distance optical link via telecommunication networks

Haifeng Jiang

The transfer of ultra-stable frequencies between distant laboratories is required by many applications in time and frequency metrology, fundamental physics, particle accelerators and astrophysics. This thesis describes the development of ultra-stable optical links over distances from 86 km to 300 km. The long-term objective is to connect the main European National Metrology Institutes with optical links extending up to 1000 km. The optical link is based on the transfer of the optical phase of an ultra-stable laser emitting light of wavelength 1542 nm through an optical fiber of the telecommunication network. For that purpose, ultra-stable cavity-stabilized lasers and fiber-stabilized lasers have been developed. The fractional instability of cavity-stabilized laser is approximately 10-15 at 1s integration time. The fiber-stabilized lasers are robust, compact, simple, tunable and their frequency noise is comparable to that of the cavity-stabilized laser for Fourier frequencies higher than a few tens of Hertz. Optical links were first demonstrated on 86 km and 172 km using dedicated fibers connecting the laboratories LNE-SYRTE and LPL. Fractional frequency instability in the range of or below 10-19 at 104 s integration time has been obtained. For larger distances, the ultra-stable laser signal is transferred on the Internet network simultaneously with the data traffic but on a dedicated frequency channel, using wavelength division multiplexing. Multiplexed links were demonstrated over distances up to 300 km, with fractional frequency instabilities at the same level or better than with dedicated fibers.

•Oct 26, 2010•10 citations

Optical frequency transfer over 38 km of installed fiber at less than 3 ? 10-19 residual fractional instability

Paul A. Williams, William C. Swann, Nathan R. Newbury

We transmit a narrow-linewidth cw laser at 1535 nm across 38 km of installed fiber. Through standard Doppler-cancellation techniques, we achieve a residual fractional frequency instability of 4 times 10-17at 1 second averaging time.

IEEE/LEOS Summer Topical Meetings•Jul 1, 2007•1 citation

Coherent transfer of an optical carrier over 251 km

Nathan R. Newbury, Paul A. Williams, William C. Swann

We transfer an optical frequency over 251 km of optical fiber with a residual instability of 6x10(-19) at 100 s. This instability and the associated timing jitter are limited fundamentally by the noise on the optical fiber and the link length. We give a simple expression for calculating the achievable instability and jitter over a fiber link. Transfer of optical stability over this long distance requires a highly coherent optical source, provided here by a cw fiber laser locked to a high finesse optical cavity. A sufficient optical carrier signal is delivered to the remote fiber end by incorporating two-way, in-line erbium-doped fiber amplifiers to balance the 62 dB link loss.

Optics Letters•Oct 15, 2007•228 citations

Remote Transfer of Ultra-Stable Optical Frequency Reference using Active Cancellation of Fiber Induced Phase Noise

Manoj Das

Comparison of ultra-stable frequency references located in geographically distributed areas require a transfer technique, which offers stability of 10−17at 1 s over tens of kilometer. Such remote frequency transfer will allow comparing the optical frequency references of same or different atomic species (through a frequency comb bridge) for test of relativistic geodesy [1] or time variation of fundamental constants [2], and will contribute towards the database of frequency ratio measurements-an essential requirement for the re-definition of the SI second based on optical clocks [3]. It will also facilitate in creating an optical to microwave frequency link that can be used by various SI standards laboratory requiring stable microwave sources. In this paper, I discuss the modulated optical carrier wave based ultra-stable frequency reference transfer technique, and present a study of a laser interferometer based active fiber noise cancellation system and its applications.

URSI Regional Conference on Radio Science (URSI-RCRS)•Dec 1, 2022•1 citation

We report the design and performance of a transportable laser system at 1543 nm, together with its application as the source for a demonstration of optical carrier frequency transmission over 118 km of an installed dark fiber network. The laser system is based around an optical reference cavity featuring an elastic mounting that bonds the cavity to its support, enabling the cavity to be transported without additional clamping. The cavity exhibits passive fractional frequency insensitivity to vibration along the optical axis of 2.0×10(-11) m(-1) s(2). With active fiber noise cancellation, the optical carrier frequency transmission achieves a fractional frequency instability, measured at the user end, of 2.6×10(-16) at 1 s, averaging down to below 3×10(-18) after 20,000 s. The fractional frequency accuracy of the transfer is better than 3×10(-18). This level of performance is sufficient for comparison of state-of-the-art optical frequency standards and is achieved in an urban fiber environment.

Experiments of transmission of sub-Hz cavity-stabilized 1542 nm laser frequency using a pair of 43 km dark fibers in urban environment are reported on successively 86 km and 172 km, with fractional frequency instability in the 10-19 range. A new approach is then introduced consisting in using part of an optical telecommunications network carrying simultaneously data traffic using a DWDM scheme to multiplex the metrological signal. This method is experimentally implemented using 22 km of fiber linking Université Paris 13 to its internet access point without degradation of the link instability. We finally present a project of large scale link between Paris and the German border using RENATER network which could constitute the first step of the building of a European optical network for ultrastable frequency dissemination and comparison.

We demonstrate the long-distance transmission of an ultrastable optical frequency derived directly from a state-of-the-art optical frequency standard. Using an active stabilization system we deliver the frequency via a 146-km-long underground fiber link with a fractional instability of 3 x 10(-15) at 1 s, which is close to the theoretical limit for our transfer experiment. After 30,000 s, the relative uncertainty for the transfer is at the level of 1 x 10(-19). Tests with a very short fiber show that noise in our stabilization system contributes fluctuations that are 2 orders of magnitude lower, namely, 3 x 10(-17) at 1 s, reaching 10(-20) after 4,000 s.

The transfer of ultra-stable frequencies between distant laboratories is required by many applications in time and frequency metrology, fundamental physics, particle accelerators and astrophysics. This thesis describes the development of ultra-stable optical links over distances from 86 km to 300 km. The long-term objective is to connect the main European National Metrology Institutes with optical links extending up to 1000 km. The optical link is based on the transfer of the optical phase of an ultra-stable laser emitting light of wavelength 1542 nm through an optical fiber of the telecommunication network. For that purpose, ultra-stable cavity-stabilized lasers and fiber-stabilized lasers have been developed. The fractional instability of cavity-stabilized laser is approximately 10-15 at 1s integration time. The fiber-stabilized lasers are robust, compact, simple, tunable and their frequency noise is comparable to that of the cavity-stabilized laser for Fourier frequencies higher than a few tens of Hertz. Optical links were first demonstrated on 86 km and 172 km using dedicated fibers connecting the laboratories LNE-SYRTE and LPL. Fractional frequency instability in the range of or below 10-19 at 104 s integration time has been obtained. For larger distances, the ultra-stable laser signal is transferred on the Internet network simultaneously with the data traffic but on a dedicated frequency channel, using wavelength division multiplexing. Multiplexed links were demonstrated over distances up to 300 km, with fractional frequency instabilities at the same level or better than with dedicated fibers.

We transfer an optical frequency over 251 km of optical fiber with a residual instability of 6x10(-19) at 100 s. This instability and the associated timing jitter are limited fundamentally by the noise on the optical fiber and the link length. We give a simple expression for calculating the achievable instability and jitter over a fiber link. Transfer of optical stability over this long distance requires a highly coherent optical source, provided here by a cw fiber laser locked to a high finesse optical cavity. A sufficient optical carrier signal is delivered to the remote fiber end by incorporating two-way, in-line erbium-doped fiber amplifiers to balance the 62 dB link loss.

Comparison of ultra-stable frequency references located in geographically distributed areas require a transfer technique, which offers stability of 10−17at 1 s over tens of kilometer. Such remote frequency transfer will allow comparing the optical frequency references of same or different atomic species (through a frequency comb bridge) for test of relativistic geodesy [1] or time variation of fundamental constants [2], and will contribute towards the database of frequency ratio measurements-an essential requirement for the re-definition of the SI second based on optical clocks [3]. It will also facilitate in creating an optical to microwave frequency link that can be used by various SI standards laboratory requiring stable microwave sources. In this paper, I discuss the modulated optical carrier wave based ultra-stable frequency reference transfer technique, and present a study of a laser interferometer based active fiber noise cancellation system and its applications.