Ultra-Low Noise Microwave Extraction from Fiber-Based Optical Frequency Comb

Authors :: Millo, J.
Boudot, R.
Lours, M.
Bourgeois, P. Y.
Luiten, A. N.
Coq, Y. Le
Kersale, Y.
Santarelli, G.
Source :: Opt. Lett, vol 34, issue 23, pp 3707-3709 (2009)
Publication Year :: 2009
Abstract: In this letter, we report on all-optical fiber approach to the generation of ultra-low noise microwave signals. We make use of two erbium fiber mode-locked lasers phase locked to a common ultra-stable laser source to generate an 11.55 GHz signal with an unprecedented relative phase noise of -111 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz from the carrier.The residual frequency instability of the microwave signals derived from the two optical frequency combs is below 2.3 10^(-16) at 1s and about 4 10^(-19) at 6.5 10^(4)s (in 5 Hz bandwidth, three days continuous operation).<br />Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures