Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Applied Optics

High-precision optical frequency transfer over a 96 km urban fiber link

Lei Liu, Nan Cheng, Jialiang Wang, Qian Cao, Zhou Tong, Ying Bo Kang, Youzhen Gui

Published Dec 14, 2022• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrated the optical frequency transfer over a 96 km urban business network in Shanghai. The key factors affecting the optical frequency transmission system, such as fiber link quality, feedback compensation strength, and out-of-loop fiber temperature variation, are studied for the urban fiber link characteristics. The effective suppression technique of complex urban fiber link noise with different feedback compensation parameters is studied. With active phase noise suppression, the optical frequency stability can reach 1.9 × 10 − 16 at 1 s and 2.2 × 10 − 18 at 10,000 s over a 96 km urban fiber link. This work potentially plays an important role in optical clock frequency comparison, and it makes a good foundation for future research on long-distance optical frequency transfer over an urban business network.

DOI
10.1364/ao.479966

Related papers

Coherent Optical Frequency Transfer via a 490 km Noisy Fiber Link

Xiang Zhang, Xue Deng, Qi Zang +9 more

We demonstrate the coherent transfer of an ultrastable optical frequency reference over a 490 km noisy field fiber link. The fiber-induced phase noise power spectrum density per-unit-length at 1 Hz offset frequency can reach up to 510 rad2⋅Hz−1⋅km−1, which is much higher than the fiber noise observed in previous reports. This extreme level of phase noise is mainly due to the fiber link laying underground along the highway. Appropriate phase-locked loop parameters are chosen to complete the active compensation of fiber noise by measuring the intensity fluctuation of additional phase noise and designing a homemade digital frequency division phase discriminator with a large phase detection range of 212 π rad. Finally, a noise suppression intensity of approximately 40 dB at 1 Hz is obtained, with fractional frequency instability of 1.1 × 10−14 at 1 s averaging time, and 3.7 × 10−19 at 10000 s. The transfer system will be used for remote atomic clock comparisons and optical frequency distribution over a long-distance communication network established in China.

Chinese Physics Letters•Mar 25, 2022•14 citations

Coherent Optical Frequency Transfer over 100 km Fiber Link Using Bidirectional Active Optics

Hanxu Wu, Xiaoming Zhang, Weinan Zhao +7 more

SummaryPrecise and stable coherent optical frequency transfer over long-haul fiber link is required by diverse scientific applications, such as large-scale optical clock networks, global positioning and timing, very-long baseline interferometry, and high-sensitivity tests of fundamental physics. To meet the needs of the above applications, active compensation schemes for cancelling fiber-induced phase noise has developed considerably over the past ten years. However, optical signal severely reduces across distant fiber-optic networks, which degrades optical beat signal and feedback control.Here, we adopt active phase compensation and bidirectional optical frequency locking to achieve ultra-stable optical carrier transfer. The phase noise of the fiber link is effectively suppressed, meanwhile, the ultra-stable optical frequency signal is regenerated accurately at the remote site.Preliminary experiment over 100 km fiber link indicates that the additional frequency stability exhibits 1.9×10-16and 2.5×10-17at an averaging time of 1 s and 100 s, respectively. This approach has a capacity of extending to the parallel transfer of microwave and optical frequency, and free-space optical frequency transfer.

Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)•May 15, 2023•0 citations

Stable radio frequency transfer in 114 km urban optical fiber link

Motohiro Kumagai, Miho Fujieda, Shigeo Nagano +1 more

An rf dissemination system using an optical fiber link has been developed. The phase noise induced during optical fiber transmission has been successfully cancelled using what we believe to be a novel fiber-noise compensation system with a combination of electrical and optical compensations. We have performed rf transfer in a 114 km urban telecom fiber link in Tokyo with a transfer stability of 10(-18) level at an averaging time of 1 day. Additionally, a high degree of continuous operation robustness has been confirmed.

Optics Letters•Sep 22, 2009•92 citations

Optical frequency transfer over 377 km urban fiber link using EDFAs

Xue Deng, Jie Liu, Qi Zang +6 more

We demonstrate an optical frequency transfer over a 377 km-long fiber link using three bi-directional Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) to compensate the fiber attenuation. Through active phase noise cancellation, we obtain a transfer instability of 2.2×10-14 at 1 s and 6.2×10-17 at 2000 s. The lasing effects induced by EDFAs are observed in the transfer link which reduce the gain performance of the EDFAs and deteriorate the stability of the signal. In the paper, the factors that may induce the lasing effects is discussed, specially, improper phase locking parameters may stimulate the lasing effects. The phase noise of the 377 km link and the transfer instability versus fiber lengths is also researched. This work makes a good foundation for our future research on long-distance optical frequency transfer.

Tenth International Conference on Information Optics and Photonics•Nov 15, 2018•0 citations

Robust Transfer of Optical Frequency over 500km Fiber Link with Instability of 10−21

Qian Zhou, Xiang Zhang, Qi Zang +6 more

Abstract Our primary objective is to mitigate the adverse effects of temperature fluctuations on the optical frequency transmission system by reducing the length of the interferometer. Following optimization, the phase-temperature coefficient of the optical system is reduced to approximately 1.35 fs/K. By applying a sophisticated temperature control to the remained “out-of-loop” optics fiber, the noise floor of the system has been effectively lowered to 10−21 level. Based on this performance-enhanced transfer system, we demonstrate coherent transmission of optical frequency through 500-km spooled fiber link. After being actively compensated, the transfer instability of 4.5 × 10−16 at the averaging time of 1 s and 5.6 × 10−21 at 10000 s is demonstrated. The frequency uncertainty of received light at remote site relative to that of the origin light at local site is achieved to be 1.15 × 10−19. This enhanced system configuration is particularly well suited for future long-distance frequency transmission and comparison of the most advanced optical clock signals.

Chinese Physics Letters•Jul 25, 2024•7 citations

Long-distance frequency transfer over an urban fiber link using optical phase stabilization

Haifeng Jiang, F. Kéfélian, S. G. Crane +8 more

We transferred the frequency of an ultrastable laser over 86 km of urban fiber. The link is composed of two cascaded 43 km fibers connecting two laboratories, Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais-Systèmes de Référence Temps-Espace (LNE-SYRTE) and Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers (LPL), in the Paris area. In an effort to realistically demonstrate a link of 172 km without using spooled fiber extensions, we implemented a recirculation loop to double the length of the urban fiber link. The link is fed with a 1542 nm cavity-stabilized fiber laser having a sub-Hz linewidth. The fiber-induced phase noise is measured and cancelled with an all fiber-based interferometer using commercial off-the-shelf pigtailed telecommunication components. The compensated link shows an Allan deviation of a few 10−16 at one second and a few 10−19 at 10,000 seconds.

arXiv:0807.1882•Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Nov 18, 2008•166 citations
We demonstrated the optical frequency transfer over a 96 km urban business network in Shanghai. The key factors affecting the optical frequency transmission system, such as fiber link quality, feedback compensation strength, and out-of-loop fiber temperature variation, are studied for the urban fiber link characteristics. The effective suppression technique of complex urban fiber link noise with different feedback compensation parameters is studied. With active phase noise suppression, the optical frequency stability can reach 1.9 × 10 − 16 at 1 s and 2.2 × 10 − 18 at 10,000 s over a 96 km urban fiber link. This work potentially plays an important role in optical clock frequency comparison, and it makes a good foundation for future research on long-distance optical frequency transfer over an urban business network.
We demonstrate the coherent transfer of an ultrastable optical frequency reference over a 490 km noisy field fiber link. The fiber-induced phase noise power spectrum density per-unit-length at 1 Hz offset frequency can reach up to 510 rad2⋅Hz−1⋅km−1, which is much higher than the fiber noise observed in previous reports. This extreme level of phase noise is mainly due to the fiber link laying underground along the highway. Appropriate phase-locked loop parameters are chosen to complete the active compensation of fiber noise by measuring the intensity fluctuation of additional phase noise and designing a homemade digital frequency division phase discriminator with a large phase detection range of 212 π rad. Finally, a noise suppression intensity of approximately 40 dB at 1 Hz is obtained, with fractional frequency instability of 1.1 × 10−14 at 1 s averaging time, and 3.7 × 10−19 at 10000 s. The transfer system will be used for remote atomic clock comparisons and optical frequency distribution over a long-distance communication network established in China.
SummaryPrecise and stable coherent optical frequency transfer over long-haul fiber link is required by diverse scientific applications, such as large-scale optical clock networks, global positioning and timing, very-long baseline interferometry, and high-sensitivity tests of fundamental physics. To meet the needs of the above applications, active compensation schemes for cancelling fiber-induced phase noise has developed considerably over the past ten years. However, optical signal severely reduces across distant fiber-optic networks, which degrades optical beat signal and feedback control.Here, we adopt active phase compensation and bidirectional optical frequency locking to achieve ultra-stable optical carrier transfer. The phase noise of the fiber link is effectively suppressed, meanwhile, the ultra-stable optical frequency signal is regenerated accurately at the remote site.Preliminary experiment over 100 km fiber link indicates that the additional frequency stability exhibits 1.9×10-16and 2.5×10-17at an averaging time of 1 s and 100 s, respectively. This approach has a capacity of extending to the parallel transfer of microwave and optical frequency, and free-space optical frequency transfer.
An rf dissemination system using an optical fiber link has been developed. The phase noise induced during optical fiber transmission has been successfully cancelled using what we believe to be a novel fiber-noise compensation system with a combination of electrical and optical compensations. We have performed rf transfer in a 114 km urban telecom fiber link in Tokyo with a transfer stability of 10(-18) level at an averaging time of 1 day. Additionally, a high degree of continuous operation robustness has been confirmed.
We demonstrate an optical frequency transfer over a 377 km-long fiber link using three bi-directional Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) to compensate the fiber attenuation. Through active phase noise cancellation, we obtain a transfer instability of 2.2×10-14 at 1 s and 6.2×10-17 at 2000 s. The lasing effects induced by EDFAs are observed in the transfer link which reduce the gain performance of the EDFAs and deteriorate the stability of the signal. In the paper, the factors that may induce the lasing effects is discussed, specially, improper phase locking parameters may stimulate the lasing effects. The phase noise of the 377 km link and the transfer instability versus fiber lengths is also researched. This work makes a good foundation for our future research on long-distance optical frequency transfer.
Abstract Our primary objective is to mitigate the adverse effects of temperature fluctuations on the optical frequency transmission system by reducing the length of the interferometer. Following optimization, the phase-temperature coefficient of the optical system is reduced to approximately 1.35 fs/K. By applying a sophisticated temperature control to the remained “out-of-loop” optics fiber, the noise floor of the system has been effectively lowered to 10−21 level. Based on this performance-enhanced transfer system, we demonstrate coherent transmission of optical frequency through 500-km spooled fiber link. After being actively compensated, the transfer instability of 4.5 × 10−16 at the averaging time of 1 s and 5.6 × 10−21 at 10000 s is demonstrated. The frequency uncertainty of received light at remote site relative to that of the origin light at local site is achieved to be 1.15 × 10−19. This enhanced system configuration is particularly well suited for future long-distance frequency transmission and comparison of the most advanced optical clock signals.
We transferred the frequency of an ultrastable laser over 86 km of urban fiber. The link is composed of two cascaded 43 km fibers connecting two laboratories, Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais-Systèmes de Référence Temps-Espace (LNE-SYRTE) and Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers (LPL), in the Paris area. In an effort to realistically demonstrate a link of 172 km without using spooled fiber extensions, we implemented a recirculation loop to double the length of the urban fiber link. The link is fed with a 1542 nm cavity-stabilized fiber laser having a sub-Hz linewidth. The fiber-induced phase noise is measured and cancelled with an all fiber-based interferometer using commercial off-the-shelf pigtailed telecommunication components. The compensated link shows an Allan deviation of a few 10−16 at one second and a few 10−19 at 10,000 seconds.