This article presents the principles and techniques of active optical clock, a special laser combining the laser physics of one-atom laser, bad-cavity gas laser, super-cavity stabilized laser and optical atomic clock ...This article presents the principles and techniques of active optical clock, a special laser combining the laser physics of one-atom laser, bad-cavity gas laser, super-cavity stabilized laser and optical atomic clock together. As a simple example, an active optical clock based on thermal strontium atomic beam shows a quantum-limited linewidth of 0.51 Hz, which is insensitive to laser cavity-length noise, and may surpass the recorded narrowest 6.7 Hz of Hg ion optical clock and 1.5 Hz of very recent optical lattice clock. The estimated 0.1 Hz one-second instability and 0.27 Hz uncertainty are limited only by the rela- tivistic Doppler effect, and can be improved by cold atoms.展开更多
The effects of optical sources with different laser linewidths on Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry （BOTDR） are investigated numerically and experimentally. Simulation results show that the spectral linewi...The effects of optical sources with different laser linewidths on Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry （BOTDR） are investigated numerically and experimentally. Simulation results show that the spectral linewidth of spontaneous Brillouin scattering remains almost constant when the laser linewidth is less than 1 MHz at the same pulse width; otherwise, it increases sharply. A comparison between a fiber laser （FL） with 4-kHz linewidth at 3 dB and a distributed feedback （DFB） laser with 3-MHz linewidth is made experimentally. When a constant laser power is launched into the sensing fiber, the fitting linewidths of the beat signals （backscattered Brillouin light and local oscillator （LO）） is about 5 MHz wider for the DFB laser than for the FL and the intensity of the beat signal is about a half. Furthermore, the frequency fluctuation in the long sensing fiber is lower for the FL source, yielding about 2 MHz less than that of the DFB laser, indicating higher temperature/strain resolution. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations.展开更多
The key parameters of laser energy concentration and coherence can be characterized by laser linewidth, which determines the detection range, measurement resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of laser precision measure...The key parameters of laser energy concentration and coherence can be characterized by laser linewidth, which determines the detection range, measurement resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of laser precision measurement technology. Up to now, the laser linewidth is mainly measured by the energy distribution width in the frequency domain, but the coherence of the laser has not been measured or characterized directly. In this work, we propose the concept of coherent linewidth based on the coherent envelope of delayed self-heterodyne detection to directly characterize the time-frequency coherence of lasers. In the proof-of-concept experiment, we obtain the coherence coefficient through the Fourier transform of the partial coherence envelope, and then measure the coherence linewidth of the laser. The measured coherent linewidth is smaller than the traditional integral linewidth and larger than the intrinsic Lorentzian linewidth, indicating that the coherent linewidth is less affected by low-frequency 1/f noise. The concept of coherent linewidth proposed in this article can serve as a candidate method for directly characterizing the coherence of narrow linewidth lasers. .展开更多
窄线宽激光器的线宽表征方式通常采用延时自外差法测量技术。该技术是通过延时光纤差拍产生一个与待测激光线宽相关的洛伦兹频谱,因此该频谱只具有单一的线宽表现形式。为了能够观察到激光器的线宽和频率噪声在其傅里叶频率分布下的完...窄线宽激光器的线宽表征方式通常采用延时自外差法测量技术。该技术是通过延时光纤差拍产生一个与待测激光线宽相关的洛伦兹频谱,因此该频谱只具有单一的线宽表现形式。为了能够观察到激光器的线宽和频率噪声在其傅里叶频率分布下的完整特性,报道了一种基于β算法计算窄线宽激光器线宽的方法。该方法是结合频率噪声中的白噪声和1/ f 噪声分别诱导不同激光线型的理论,从而确定激光线宽。首先,对β算法的基本原理进行了详细的分析说明。通过基于维纳-辛钦定理,分析了窄线宽激光器不同频率范围内的频率噪声和激光线宽的依赖关系。阐明了在截止频率趋于0和无穷大的两个范围条件时,激光频谱特性从高斯线型向洛伦兹线型演变。同时推导出使两种线型转换的截止频率表达式,并将其转换为频率噪声函数,该函数定义为β分子线。此时频率噪声分量中高斯线型的总和即为激光线宽计算公式;其次,对窄线宽激光器的频率噪声和激光线型进行数值仿真。将通过OEwaves公司的OE4000互相关零差相位/频率噪声自动测试系统测得的频率噪声谱密度,带入β算法理论公式中。结果显示: 1/ f 噪声导致激光呈现高斯线型,线宽随截止频率的增加而增大。而白噪声将导致洛伦兹线型,线宽不再随截止频率而改变。此外,在低频区域,频率噪声电平远大于其傅里叶频率,噪声调制系数较高,该部分噪声可以决定线宽大小。因此,高斯线型区域对应的频率噪声的积分,即为待测激光器的线宽;在高频区域,频率噪声电平与其傅里叶频率相差较小,频率波动较快,噪声对线宽影响可以忽略。并且频率带宽在截止频率范围内,计算的线宽误差较小。最后,实验上运用β算法对RIO公司的1 550 nm低噪声窄线宽激光器的频率噪声功率谱密度进行积分计算,成功获得了其不同傅里叶频率�展开更多
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2005CB724500)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10874009)
文摘This article presents the principles and techniques of active optical clock, a special laser combining the laser physics of one-atom laser, bad-cavity gas laser, super-cavity stabilized laser and optical atomic clock together. As a simple example, an active optical clock based on thermal strontium atomic beam shows a quantum-limited linewidth of 0.51 Hz, which is insensitive to laser cavity-length noise, and may surpass the recorded narrowest 6.7 Hz of Hg ion optical clock and 1.5 Hz of very recent optical lattice clock. The estimated 0.1 Hz one-second instability and 0.27 Hz uncertainty are limited only by the rela- tivistic Doppler effect, and can be improved by cold atoms.
基金the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2012AA041203)the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality,China(Grant No.13XD1425400)the Pudong New Area Science and Technology Development Fund,China(Grant No.PKJ2012-D04)
文摘The effects of optical sources with different laser linewidths on Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry （BOTDR） are investigated numerically and experimentally. Simulation results show that the spectral linewidth of spontaneous Brillouin scattering remains almost constant when the laser linewidth is less than 1 MHz at the same pulse width; otherwise, it increases sharply. A comparison between a fiber laser （FL） with 4-kHz linewidth at 3 dB and a distributed feedback （DFB） laser with 3-MHz linewidth is made experimentally. When a constant laser power is launched into the sensing fiber, the fitting linewidths of the beat signals （backscattered Brillouin light and local oscillator （LO）） is about 5 MHz wider for the DFB laser than for the FL and the intensity of the beat signal is about a half. Furthermore, the frequency fluctuation in the long sensing fiber is lower for the FL source, yielding about 2 MHz less than that of the DFB laser, indicating higher temperature/strain resolution. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations.
文摘The key parameters of laser energy concentration and coherence can be characterized by laser linewidth, which determines the detection range, measurement resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of laser precision measurement technology. Up to now, the laser linewidth is mainly measured by the energy distribution width in the frequency domain, but the coherence of the laser has not been measured or characterized directly. In this work, we propose the concept of coherent linewidth based on the coherent envelope of delayed self-heterodyne detection to directly characterize the time-frequency coherence of lasers. In the proof-of-concept experiment, we obtain the coherence coefficient through the Fourier transform of the partial coherence envelope, and then measure the coherence linewidth of the laser. The measured coherent linewidth is smaller than the traditional integral linewidth and larger than the intrinsic Lorentzian linewidth, indicating that the coherent linewidth is less affected by low-frequency 1/f noise. The concept of coherent linewidth proposed in this article can serve as a candidate method for directly characterizing the coherence of narrow linewidth lasers. .
文摘窄线宽激光器的线宽表征方式通常采用延时自外差法测量技术。该技术是通过延时光纤差拍产生一个与待测激光线宽相关的洛伦兹频谱,因此该频谱只具有单一的线宽表现形式。为了能够观察到激光器的线宽和频率噪声在其傅里叶频率分布下的完整特性,报道了一种基于β算法计算窄线宽激光器线宽的方法。该方法是结合频率噪声中的白噪声和1/ f 噪声分别诱导不同激光线型的理论,从而确定激光线宽。首先,对β算法的基本原理进行了详细的分析说明。通过基于维纳-辛钦定理,分析了窄线宽激光器不同频率范围内的频率噪声和激光线宽的依赖关系。阐明了在截止频率趋于0和无穷大的两个范围条件时,激光频谱特性从高斯线型向洛伦兹线型演变。同时推导出使两种线型转换的截止频率表达式,并将其转换为频率噪声函数,该函数定义为β分子线。此时频率噪声分量中高斯线型的总和即为激光线宽计算公式;其次,对窄线宽激光器的频率噪声和激光线型进行数值仿真。将通过OEwaves公司的OE4000互相关零差相位/频率噪声自动测试系统测得的频率噪声谱密度,带入β算法理论公式中。结果显示: 1/ f 噪声导致激光呈现高斯线型,线宽随截止频率的增加而增大。而白噪声将导致洛伦兹线型,线宽不再随截止频率而改变。此外,在低频区域,频率噪声电平远大于其傅里叶频率,噪声调制系数较高,该部分噪声可以决定线宽大小。因此,高斯线型区域对应的频率噪声的积分,即为待测激光器的线宽;在高频区域,频率噪声电平与其傅里叶频率相差较小,频率波动较快,噪声对线宽影响可以忽略。并且频率带宽在截止频率范围内,计算的线宽误差较小。最后,实验上运用β算法对RIO公司的1 550 nm低噪声窄线宽激光器的频率噪声功率谱密度进行积分计算,成功获得了其不同傅里叶频率�
