Intrinsic linewidth of quantum cascade laser frequency combs
Year: 2015
Authors: Cappelli F., Villares G., Riedi S., Faist J.
Autors Affiliation: ETH, Inst Quantum Elect, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland; CNR, INO, I-50125 Florence, FI, Italy; LENS European Lab Nonlinear Spect, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy.
Abstract: Optical frequency combs based on quantum cascade lasers have recently been demonstrated in the mid- and far-infrared spectral regions, opening the possibility for broadband, compact spectrometers. The successful operation of these systems will depend on understanding the frequency noise of these lasers, whose mode-locking dynamics leads to an almost constant optical power rather than pulse generation. We demonstrate that the four-wave mixing process— responsible for comb formation—effectively correlates the quantum frequency noise of the individual comb modes. The plateau observed in the high-frequency portion of the noise spectrum is attributed to the quantum noise limit. This result proves that four-wave mixing introduces no additional frequency noise, showing that quantum cascade laser combs are well suited for high-resolution spectroscopy applications.
Journal/Review: OPTICA
Volume: 2 (10) Pages from: 836 to: 840
More Information: ETH Pioneer Fellowship programme; European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (Florence); Italian National Institute of Optics (CNR-INO); Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF200020-152962).KeyWords: Four wave mixing; Infrared lasers; Laser mode locking; Locks (fasteners); Quantum cascade lasers; Quantum noise; Spectrometers; Spectroscopic analysis, Four-wave-mixing process; High frequency HF; High-resolution spectroscopy; Infrared and far-infrared lasers; Lasers and laser optics; Optical frequency combs; Quantum cascades; Quantum noise limit, Semiconductor lasersDOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.2.000836ImpactFactor: 5.205Citations: 39data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-10-13References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)Connecting to view paper tab on IsiWeb: Click hereConnecting to view citations from IsiWeb: Click here