| Zugriffsnummer | 10087 |
| Dokumenttyp | Zeitschriftenartikel |
| Sprache | Englisch |
| Titel | Optical frequency combs: from frequency metrology to optical phase control |
| Autor(in); Institution |
Ye, Jun; JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA
Schnatz, Harald; 4.3, Quantenoptik und Längeneinheit, PTB-Braunschweig
Hollberg, Leo W.; Time and Frequency Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA
|
| Quelle/Jahr | IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics: 9 (2003), 4, 1041 - 1058 |
| ISSN | 1077-260X |
| Freie Schlagworte | frequency metrology ; optical frequency standards ; frequency measurements ; equipment and techniques |
| Zusammenfassung | The merging of CW laser-based precision optical-frequency metrology with mode-locked ultrafast lasers has led to precision control of the visible and near-IR frequency spectrum produced by mode-locked lasers. Such a phase - controlled mode-locked laser forms the foundation of a ”femtosecond optical-frequency comb generator” with a regular comb of sharp lines with well-defined frequencies. For a comb with sufficiently broad bandwidth, it is now straightforward to determine the absolute frequencies of all of the comb lines. This ability has revolutionized optical-frequency metrology, synthesis and optical atomic clocks. Precision femtosecond optical-frequency combs also have a major impact on time-domain applications, including carrier-envelope phase stabilization, synthesis of a single pulse from two independent lasers, nonlinear spectroscopy, and passive amplifiers based on empty external optical cavities. In this article, we first review the frequency domain description of a mode-locked laser, and the connection between the carrier-envelope phase and the frequency spectrum to provide a basis for understanding how the absolute frequencies can be determined and controlled. Using this understanding, applications in optical-frequency metrology and synthesis and optical atomic clocks are discussed. This is followed by discussions of time domain experiments. |
