Towards phase-stabilized Fourier domain mode-locked frequency combs

Christin Grill; Torben Blömker; Mark Schmidt; Dominic Kastner; Tom Pfeiffer; Jan Philip Kolb; Wolfgang Draxinger; Sebastian Karpf; Christian Jirauschek; Robert Huber

doi:10.1038/s42005-022-00960-w

Towards phase-stabilized Fourier domain mode-locked frequency combs

Christin Grill, Torben Blömker, Mark Schmidt, Dominic Kastner, Tom Pfeiffer, Jan Philip Kolb, Wolfgang Draxinger, Sebastian Karpf, Christian Jirauschek, Robert Huber^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Technical University of Munich

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fourier domain mode-locked (FDML) lasers are some of the fastest wavelength-swept light sources, and used in many applications like optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT endoscopy, Raman microscopy, light detection and ranging, and two-photon microscopy. For a deeper understanding of the underlying laser physics, it is crucial to investigate the light field evolution of the FDML laser and to clarify whether the FDML laser provides a frequency comb structure. In this case, the FDML would output a coherent sweep in frequency with a stable phase relation between output colours. To get access to the phase of the light field, a beat signal measurement with a stable, monochromatic laser is performed. Here we show experimental evidence of a well-defined phase evolution and a comb-like structure of the FDML laser. This is in agreement with numerical simulations. This insight will enable new applications in jitter-free spectral-scanning, coherent, synthetic THz-generation and as metrological time-frequency ruler.

Original language	English
Article number	212
Journal	Communications Physics
Volume	5
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-022-00960-w
Publication status	Published - 12.2022

Funding

European Union (ERC) (CoG no. 646669), German Research Foundation (DFG) (JI 115/4-2, JI 115/8-1, HU 1006/6 270871130, EXC 306/2, EXC 2167-390884018), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (no. 13GW0227B) and the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (Excellence Chair Program by the universities of Kiel and Lübeck).

Research Areas and Centers

Academic Focus: Biomedical Engineering

DFG Research Classification Scheme

2.22-32 Medical Physics, Biomedical Technology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1038/s42005-022-00960-w

Cite this

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title = "Towards phase-stabilized Fourier domain mode-locked frequency combs",

abstract = "Fourier domain mode-locked (FDML) lasers are some of the fastest wavelength-swept light sources, and used in many applications like optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT endoscopy, Raman microscopy, light detection and ranging, and two-photon microscopy. For a deeper understanding of the underlying laser physics, it is crucial to investigate the light field evolution of the FDML laser and to clarify whether the FDML laser provides a frequency comb structure. In this case, the FDML would output a coherent sweep in frequency with a stable phase relation between output colours. To get access to the phase of the light field, a beat signal measurement with a stable, monochromatic laser is performed. Here we show experimental evidence of a well-defined phase evolution and a comb-like structure of the FDML laser. This is in agreement with numerical simulations. This insight will enable new applications in jitter-free spectral-scanning, coherent, synthetic THz-generation and as metrological time-frequency ruler.",

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AU - Grill, Christin

AU - Blömker, Torben

AU - Schmidt, Mark

AU - Kastner, Dominic

AU - Pfeiffer, Tom

AU - Kolb, Jan Philip

AU - Draxinger, Wolfgang

AU - Karpf, Sebastian

AU - Jirauschek, Christian

AU - Huber, Robert

PY - 2022/12

Y1 - 2022/12

N2 - Fourier domain mode-locked (FDML) lasers are some of the fastest wavelength-swept light sources, and used in many applications like optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT endoscopy, Raman microscopy, light detection and ranging, and two-photon microscopy. For a deeper understanding of the underlying laser physics, it is crucial to investigate the light field evolution of the FDML laser and to clarify whether the FDML laser provides a frequency comb structure. In this case, the FDML would output a coherent sweep in frequency with a stable phase relation between output colours. To get access to the phase of the light field, a beat signal measurement with a stable, monochromatic laser is performed. Here we show experimental evidence of a well-defined phase evolution and a comb-like structure of the FDML laser. This is in agreement with numerical simulations. This insight will enable new applications in jitter-free spectral-scanning, coherent, synthetic THz-generation and as metrological time-frequency ruler.

AB - Fourier domain mode-locked (FDML) lasers are some of the fastest wavelength-swept light sources, and used in many applications like optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT endoscopy, Raman microscopy, light detection and ranging, and two-photon microscopy. For a deeper understanding of the underlying laser physics, it is crucial to investigate the light field evolution of the FDML laser and to clarify whether the FDML laser provides a frequency comb structure. In this case, the FDML would output a coherent sweep in frequency with a stable phase relation between output colours. To get access to the phase of the light field, a beat signal measurement with a stable, monochromatic laser is performed. Here we show experimental evidence of a well-defined phase evolution and a comb-like structure of the FDML laser. This is in agreement with numerical simulations. This insight will enable new applications in jitter-free spectral-scanning, coherent, synthetic THz-generation and as metrological time-frequency ruler.

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Towards phase-stabilized Fourier domain mode-locked frequency combs

Abstract

Funding

Research Areas and Centers

DFG Research Classification Scheme

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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