1. Optically referenced 300 GHz millimetre-wave oscillator
- Author
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Tadao Nagatsuma, Tomohiro Tetsumoto, Antoine Rolland, Gabriele Navickaite, Martin E. Fermann, and Michael Geiselmann
- Subjects
Physics ,business.industry ,Physics::Optics ,Noise (electronics) ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,Photodiode ,law.invention ,Optics ,law ,Brillouin scattering ,Phase noise ,Dissipative system ,Soliton ,Photonics ,business ,Ultrashort pulse - Abstract
Optical frequency division via optical frequency combs has enabled a leap in microwave metrology, leading to noise performance never explored before. Extending this method to the millimetre-wave and terahertz-wave domains is of great interest. Dissipative Kerr solitons in integrated photonic chips offer the unique feature of delivering optical frequency combs with ultrahigh repetition rates from 10 GHz to 1 THz, making them relevant gears for performing optical frequency division in the millimetre-wave and terahertz-wave domains. We experimentally demonstrate the optical frequency division of an optically carried 3.6 THz reference down to 300 GHz through a dissipative Kerr soliton, photodetected with an ultrafast uni-travelling-carrier photodiode. A new measurement system, based on the characterization of a microwave reference phase locked to the 300 GHz signal under test, yields attosecond-level timing-noise sensitivity, overcoming conventional technical limitations. This work places dissipative Kerr solitons as a leading technology in the millimetre-wave and terahertz-wave field, promising breakthroughs in fundamental and civilian applications. A 300 GHz signal is generated by the combination of a low-noise stimulated Brillouin scattering process, dissipative Kerr soliton comb and optical-to-electrical conversion. A phase noise of −100 dBc Hz−1 is achieved at a Fourier frequency of 10 kHz.
- Published
- 2021