From ultra-noisy to ultra-stable: optimization of the optoelectronic laser lock

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Nakamura, Takuma, Liu, Yifan, Jin, Naijun, Cheng, Haotian, McLemore, Charles, Hoghooghi, Nazanin, Rakich, Peter, Quinlan, Franklyn
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Nakamura, Takuma
Liu, Yifan
Jin, Naijun
Cheng, Haotian
McLemore, Charles
Hoghooghi, Nazanin
Rakich, Peter
Quinlan, Franklyn
author_facet Nakamura, Takuma
Liu, Yifan
Jin, Naijun
Cheng, Haotian
McLemore, Charles
Hoghooghi, Nazanin
Rakich, Peter
Quinlan, Franklyn
contents We demonstrate thermal-noise-limited direct locking of a semiconductor distributed feedback (DFB) laser to a sub-1 mL volume, ultrastable optical cavity, enabling extremely compact and simple ultrastable laser systems. Using the optoelectronic laser locking method, we realize over 140 dB suppression of the DFB free-running laser noise at 10 Hz offset, a level we estimate to be ~ 70 dB greater than Pound-Drever-Hall locking can provide, and reach a phase noise level of -120 dBc/Hz at 200 kHz offset. We also demonstrate a new feedforward noise correction method that improves the quality of the heterodyne beat with an optical frequency comb by providing another 60 dB of laser noise rejection - a level that is 15 dB greater than predicted by current models. With feedforward, we transfer the cavity thermal noise limit across the comb spectrum despite the fact that the cavity-locked laser itself is noisy. These results establish a simple, low noise, compact approach to ultrastable laser locking that is compatible with integrated photonics, with applications in low phase noise microwave generation, sensing, and satellite ranging.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_14956
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle From ultra-noisy to ultra-stable: optimization of the optoelectronic laser lock
Nakamura, Takuma
Liu, Yifan
Jin, Naijun
Cheng, Haotian
McLemore, Charles
Hoghooghi, Nazanin
Rakich, Peter
Quinlan, Franklyn
Optics
We demonstrate thermal-noise-limited direct locking of a semiconductor distributed feedback (DFB) laser to a sub-1 mL volume, ultrastable optical cavity, enabling extremely compact and simple ultrastable laser systems. Using the optoelectronic laser locking method, we realize over 140 dB suppression of the DFB free-running laser noise at 10 Hz offset, a level we estimate to be ~ 70 dB greater than Pound-Drever-Hall locking can provide, and reach a phase noise level of -120 dBc/Hz at 200 kHz offset. We also demonstrate a new feedforward noise correction method that improves the quality of the heterodyne beat with an optical frequency comb by providing another 60 dB of laser noise rejection - a level that is 15 dB greater than predicted by current models. With feedforward, we transfer the cavity thermal noise limit across the comb spectrum despite the fact that the cavity-locked laser itself is noisy. These results establish a simple, low noise, compact approach to ultrastable laser locking that is compatible with integrated photonics, with applications in low phase noise microwave generation, sensing, and satellite ranging.
title From ultra-noisy to ultra-stable: optimization of the optoelectronic laser lock
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.14956