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The European Physical Journal Applied Physics

Development of an optical frequency comb around 1556 nm referenced to an Rb frequency standard at 778 nm

F. Ducos, Joachin Honthaas, O. Acef

Published Nov 15, 2002• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

To transfer and expand in the optical telecommunication range the accurate 5S1/2(F = 3) – 5D5/2 (F = 5) rubidium frequency reference at 778 nm (385.285 THz), we employ a second harmonic generation (SHG) process coupled to an optical frequency comb (OFC) both based on the use of a low power and narrow linewidth laser diode operating around 1556 nm. The Rb optical frequency reference is known with an accuracy of 2.6 × 10−12 and exhibits a frequency stability of 4 × 10−13τ−1/2, with a Flicker plateau of 2 × 10−14 for τ > 200 s. With 20 mW of laser power at 1556 nm, we perform a SHG process in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal and we obtain 6.5 μW of harmonic radiation at 778 nm, used to phase lock the IR laser against a Rb optical frequency standard (OFS). This Rb-referenced fundamental radiation at 1556 nm is duplicated as 34 lines spaced by 10 GHz using an electro-optic phase modulator (EOM). This preliminary result is mainly limited by unexpected high optical losses in the Fabry Perot cavity, which comprises the EOM.

DOI
10.1051/epjap:2002096

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To transfer and expand in the optical telecommunication range the accurate 5S1/2(F = 3) – 5D5/2 (F = 5) rubidium frequency reference at 778 nm (385.285 THz), we employ a second harmonic generation (SHG) process coupled to an optical frequency comb (OFC) both based on the use of a low power and narrow linewidth laser diode operating around 1556 nm. The Rb optical frequency reference is known with an accuracy of 2.6 × 10−12 and exhibits a frequency stability of 4 × 10−13τ−1/2, with a Flicker plateau of 2 × 10−14 for τ > 200 s. With 20 mW of laser power at 1556 nm, we perform a SHG process in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal and we obtain 6.5 μW of harmonic radiation at 778 nm, used to phase lock the IR laser against a Rb optical frequency standard (OFS). This Rb-referenced fundamental radiation at 1556 nm is duplicated as 34 lines spaced by 10 GHz using an electro-optic phase modulator (EOM). This preliminary result is mainly limited by unexpected high optical losses in the Fabry Perot cavity, which comprises the EOM.
We have developed frequency standards at 192.6 THz (1556.2 nm) based on the two-photon transitions in rubidium at 385.2 THz (778.1 nm). These standards use a high power DFB laser at 1556.2 nm and second harmonic generation (SHG) in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal. The linewidth of the DFB is reduced to the kHz level using optical feedback from a confocal cavity. The SH light is used to injection-lock a 778.1 nm laser diode which allows to observe and lock the 1556.2 nm laser to the (5S/sub 1/2/,F/sub g/=2-5D/sub 5/2/,F/sub e/=4) two-photon transition /sup 87/Rb. Allan variance measurements between identical standards show a beat stability 2.5/spl times/10/sup -13///spl tau//sup 1/2/ for observation times between 100 ms and 10 s and a level of 5.8/spl times/10/sup -14/ for 100 s is obtained. These standards have been moved recently to the National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada in order to measure their absolute frequency.
This is a progress report on the realization of a compact and transportable frequency standard at 1556 nm based on a two-photon transition in rubidium at 778 nm. These hyperfine transitions present great metrological interest. They have a narrow theoretical linewidth of 150 kHz when observed with a 1556 nm laser, and their absolute frequency is known with an uncertainty of 5.2 X 10-12. In this experiment, we use a high power 1556 nm DFB laser and reduce its linewidth to the 10 kHz level using optical feedback from a confocal cavity. We generate its second harmonic in a periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal and use this signal to injection-lock a Fabry-Perot laser emitting 42 mW at 778 nm. The slave laser is used to observe the Doppler-free two- photon transitions: two counter-propagating beams excite rubidium atoms which emit a blue fluorescence on resonance. This 420 nm light is detected on the side of the Rb cell with a photomultiplier. Such an optical frequency standard at 1556 nm, standing in the multiwavelength telecommunications systems window, becomes an attractive source for absolute frequency calibration of WDM components, optical spectrum analyzers and wavemeters.
Improvements in the power level of sources near 1550 nm and in the efficiency of waveguide frequency doublers enabled us to lock a frequency-doubled source directly to the 5S(1/2) ? 5D(5/2) two-photon transitions near 778 nm. We obtained a sufficiently powerful second-harmonic signal, exceeding 2 mW, by doubling an external-cavity diode laser that was amplified by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier in a periodically poled LiNbO(3) channel waveguide. Our experimental scheme can be used for realizing compact, high-performance frequency standards near 1550 nm for fiber-optic communication and sensing applications.
Electro-optic frequency combs (EO combs) enable high spectral and temporal resolution in atomic, molecular, and cavity-based spectroscopy that is at the heart of many quantum sensing applications. However, producing EO combs in the visible range remains challenging due to the limited availability of key components such as narrow-linewidth lasers and electro-optic phase modulators. Rubidium (Rb) is a highly nonlinear material that supports various four-wave mixing (4WM) processes, which are utilized for spectral translation and the generation of squeezed light. Here, we show the spectral translation of a 780 nm EO comb to 420 nm (a spectral separation of 330 THz) via a 4WM process in Rb vapor. We demonstrate the capability to extend the output comb bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio by varying input power levels. Through this coherent process, we can generate frequency-agile combs in the blue, including a 1 kHz spaced comb with over one million individual comb teeth, of relevance for spectroscopic measurement of narrow-linewidth features such as electromagnetically induced transparency. Leveraging this approach across different 4WM interactions in Rb should allow for further wavelength conversion and the generation of correlated frequency combs, paving the way for sub-shot-noise (squeezed-light) measurements.
We experimentally demonstrate efficient frequency doubling of a telecom 1560 nm distributed feedback diode laser with a 3 cm long MgO:PPLN waveguide with a conversion coefficient of 114%/W.We investigate optical inhomogeneities by measuring the quasi-phase-matching temperature curve.The ~2.7 mW of second-harmonic power at 780 nm is sufficient to detect the Rb D 2 features using modulation transfer spectroscopy.The laser frequency is locked to a hyperfine transition of Rb D 2 line and typical residual frequency fluctuation of ±86 kHz (rms) is achieved within 30 min.Our experimental scheme can be used for realizing robust, compact, and highly accurate Rb stabilized 1560 nm laser systems for fiber-optic communication applications.
We describe a high-performance, compact optical frequency standard based on a microfabricated Rb vapor cell and a low-noise, external cavity diode laser operating on the Rb two-photon transition at 778 nm. The optical standard achieves an instability of 1.8 × 10 − 13 τ − 1 / 2 for times less than 100 s and a flicker noise floor of 1 × 10 − 14 out to 6000 s. At long integration times, the instability is limited by variations in optical probe power and the ac Stark shift. The retrace was measured to 5.7 × 10 − 13 after 30 h of dormancy. Such a simple, yet high-performance optical standard could be suitable as an accurate realization of the meter or, if coupled with an optical frequency comb, as a compact atomic clock comparable to a hydrogen maser.