Impact of dispersion on amplitude and frequency noise in a Yb-fiber laser comb.

We describe a Yb-fiber-based laser comb, with a focus on the relationship between the net-cavity dispersion and frequency noise on the comb. While tuning the net-cavity dispersion from anomalous to normal, we measure the relative intensity noise, offset frequency (f(CEO)) linewidth, and the resulting frequency noise spectrum on the f(CEO). We find that the laser operating at zero net-cavity dispersion has many advantages, including an approximately 100× reduction in free-running f(CEO) linewidth and frequency noise power spectral density when compared to the normal-dispersion regime. At the zero-dispersion point, we demonstrate a phase-locked f(CEO) beat with low residual noise.

[1]  Dai Yoshitomi,et al.  Generation of 28-fs pulses from a mode-locked ytterbium fiber oscillator. , 2008, Optics express.

[2]  Jun Ye,et al.  Vacuum-ultraviolet frequency combs from below-threshold harmonics , 2009, 0901.3768.

[3]  W. Knox.  In situ measurement of complete intracavity dispersion in an operating Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser. , 1992, Optics letters.

[4]  Jun Ye,et al.  Phase-stabilized, 1.5 W frequency comb at 2.8-4.8 microm. , 2009, Optics letters.

[5]  H. Haus,et al.  Noise of the stretched pulse fiber laser. I. Theory , 1997 .

[6]  Hall,et al.  Carrier-envelope phase control of femtosecond mode-locked lasers and direct optical frequency synthesis , 2000, Science.

[7]  William C. Swann,et al.  Low-noise fiber-laser frequency combs (Invited) , 2007 .

[8]  Jun Ye,et al.  Optical frequency comb with submillihertz linewidth and more than 10 W average power , 2008 .

[9]  Burghard Lipphardt,et al.  Kerr-lens, mode-locked lasers as transfer oscillators for optical frequency measurements , 2002 .

[10]  Frank W. Wise,et al.  High‐energy femtosecond fiber lasers based on pulse propagation at normal dispersion , 2008 .

[11]  B. Sugg,et al.  Refractive Index of Terbium Gallium Garnet , 1994 .

[12]  Andrew M. Weiner,et al.  Ultrafast Optics , 2009, New Electronics.

[13]  Jun Ye,et al.  Intensity-related dynamics of feintosecond frequency combs , 2003, Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, 2003. CLEO '03..

[14]  H. Haus,et al.  Random walk of coherently amplified solitons in optical fiber transmission. , 1986, Optics letters.

[15]  Liang Dong,et al.  Highly nonlinear silica suspended core fibers. , 2008, Optics express.

[16]  O. Prochnow,et al.  Quantum-limited noise performance of a femtosecond all-fiber ytterbium laser. , 2009, Optics express.

[17]  I. Hartl,et al.  Ultrafast Fiber Laser Technology , 2009, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[18]  Lars Grüner-Nielsen,et al.  Optimization of higher order mode fibers for dispersion management of femtosecond fiber lasers , 2008, SPIE LASE.