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Journal of Lightwave Technology

Demonstration of High Sensitivity Detection and High Precision Localization of Vibrations in Bidirectional Coherent Transmission Systems Enabled by Carrier Laser Phase Noise Retrieval

Yixiang Hu, Kaibo Zhang, Mohammad E. Mousa-Pasandi, R. Gutiérrez-Castrejón, Maurice S. O'Sullivan, Fanqi Kong, Brandon Buscaino, Jinsong Zhang, Santiago Bernal, Charles St-Arnault, David V. Plant

Published Jul 28, 2025• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate a method for mitigating the effects of laser phase noise on the detection and localization of vibrations in a bidirectional coherent optical fiber transmission system. By introducing a relative delay between the two frequency tones generated at the transmitter, we retrieve an estimate of the transmitter laser phase noise at the coherent receiver. We demonstrate 200 Gbps, 16 QAM error-free transmission over 80 km while simultaneously detecting and localizing a 3 kHz vibration with 24 rad peak-to-peak phase swing. Compared to conventional methods, our method results in a reduction of localization error by 58%, from 102 m to 43 m, and a reduction in standard deviation of estimated locations by 81%, from 355 m to 67 m.

DOI
10.1109/jlt.2025.3593142

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We demonstrate a method for mitigating the effects of laser phase noise on the detection and localization of vibrations in a bidirectional coherent optical fiber transmission system. By introducing a relative delay between the two frequency tones generated at the transmitter, we retrieve an estimate of the transmitter laser phase noise at the coherent receiver. We demonstrate 200 Gbps, 16 QAM error-free transmission over 80 km while simultaneously detecting and localizing a 3 kHz vibration with 24 rad peak-to-peak phase swing. Compared to conventional methods, our method results in a reduction of localization error by 58%, from 102 m to 43 m, and a reduction in standard deviation of estimated locations by 81%, from 355 m to 67 m.
In this paper, we present a high-precision optical frequency noise detection and comparison technique using a two-way transfer method over a 260 km field fiber link. This method allows for the comparison of optical frequencies between remote optical references without the need for data transfer through communication. We extend a previously established two-way comparison technique to obtain all data at the local site. Two optical carrier signals are injected into the bidirectional fiber from both ends, and one carrier is reflected back from the remote end. This enables the phase comparison of the two carrier signals at a single site without the need to transmit experimental data. The common-mode frequency noise induced by the bidirectional fiber link is detected and effectively suppressed without the need for sophisticated active fiber noise control. Our demonstration system, which uses a 260 km field fiber link and a common laser source, achieves a fractional instability of 2.5×10-17 at 1 s averaging time and scales down to 3.5×10-21 at 8000 s. This scheme offers the distinct advantage of completing the comparison at a single site, eliminating the need for remote data transfer via communication. This method is expected to enhance reliability for high-precision frequency comparisons between remote optical clocks and advanced atomic clocks.
The phase noise affecting the beat photocurrent produced by coherent detection of a single-frequency laser field with a time-delayed and frequency-shifted image of itself in a heterodyne two-wave interferometric system using a single-mode optical fiber is investigated as a function of source spectrum and phase-decorrelation time under the assumptions of quantum laser phase noise and high-local-oscillation level. The influence on the photocurrent spectrum of partial correlation between detected fields is pointed out. These calculations are an extension of a previously reported high-resolution spectroscopic method and account for the phase-noise limitation in unbalanced heterodyne fiber sensors and heterodyne-transmission receivers with an optical reference wave generated from the received signal. An experimental study is reported consisting of a Mach–Zender-type interferometer employing a single-frequency amplitude-stabilized laser, an acousto-optical single-side-band modulator for frequency shifting one of the arms, and several lengths of single-mode optical fiber to decorrelate the detected fields partially. Results are found to be in good agreement with theory.
We have investigated the performance of an optical carrier transfer system for a remote comparison of optical clocks. In the frequency transfer system, technical problems and fundamental principles limit the coherent transfer on a long-haul optical fiber. They contribute to noise processes that come from the propagation delay in the fiber, the design of an interferometer, burst length fluctuations of the fiber, asymmetrical propagation characteristics, and so on. The feasibility of a full optical link with high stability is discussed. The phase detection with a high degree of precision and cancellation of the fiber-induced noise on the round-trip light are achieved with a well-known standard technique using an all-fiber-based interferometer. We report the characteristics of these noise processes with results on a spooled fiber. An Allan deviation of the compensated link which is extended to 90 km reaches 5 × 10-18 close to the theoretical limit imposed by the delay-unsuppressed fiber noise at averaging time of 103s.
SUMMARY We have investigated the performance of an optical carrier transfer system for remote comparison of optical clocks. In the frequency transfer system, technical problems and fundamental principles limit coherent transfer on a long‐haul optical fiber. They contribute to noise processes that come from the propagation delay in the fiber, the design of the interferometer, burst length fluctuations of the fiber, asymmetrical propagation characteristics, and so on. The feasibility of a full optical link with high stability is discussed. Phase detection with a high degree of precision and cancelation of the fiber‐induced noise on the round‐trip light are achieved with a well‐known standard technique using an all‐fiber‐based interferometer. We report the characteristics of these noise processes with results on a spooled fiber. The Allan deviation of the compensated link which is extended to 90 km reaches 5 × 10 −18 , close to the theoretical limit imposed by the delay‐unsuppressed fiber noise at an averaging time of 103 s.
We report a technique for coherence transfer of laser light through a fiber link, where the optical phase noise induced by environmental perturbations via the fiber link is compensated by remote users with passive phase noise correction, rather than at the local site as is conventional. Neither phase discrimination nor active phase tracking is required due to the open-loop design, mitigating some technical problems such as the limited compensation speed and the finite compensation precision as conventional active phase noise cancellation. We theoretically analyze and experimentally demonstrate that the delay-limited residual fiber phase noise after phase noise compensation is a factor of seven higher than the conventional techniques. Using this technique, we demonstrate the transfer laser light through a 145-km-long, lab-based spooled fiber. After being compensated, a relative frequency instability is 1.9 × 10-15at the integration time of 1 s and scales down to the level of 10-18-range at 10,000 s. The frequency uncertainty of the light after transferring through the fiber relative to that of the input light is (-0.36 ± 2.6) × 10-18. As the transmitted optical signal remains unaltered until it reaches the remote sites, it can be transmitted simultaneously to multiple remote sites on an arbitrarily complex fiber network, paving a way to develop a multi-node optical frequency dissemination system with post automatic phase noise correction for a number of end-users.
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.