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Optical Frequency Comb Expansion Using Mutually Injection-Locked Gain-Switched Lasers

Authors :
Prajwal D. Lakshmijayasimha
Prince M. Anandarajah
Pascal Landais
Aleksandra Kaszubowska-Anandarajah
Source :
Applied Sciences, Vol 11, Iss 15, p 7108 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

We propose a novel scheme for the expansion and comb densification of gain-switched optical frequency combs (GS-OFC). The technique entails mutual injection locking of two gain-switched lasers with a common master to generate a wider bandwidth OFC. Subsequently, the OFC is further expanded and/or densified using a phase modulator with optimum drive conditions. We experimentally demonstrate the generation of an OFC with 45 highly correlated lines separated by 6.25 GHz with an expansion factor ~3. In addition, operating in comb densification mode, the channel spacing of the OFC is tuned from 6.25 GHz to 390.625 MHz. Finally, a detailed characterization of the lines, across the entire expanded comb, is reported highlighting the excellent spectral purity with linewidths of ~40 kHz, a relative intensity noise better than −152 dB/Hz, and a high degree of phase correlation between the comb lines. The proposed method is simple, highly flexible and the architecture is suitable for photonic integration, all of which make such an OFC extremely attractive for the employment in a multitude of applications.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20763417
Volume :
11
Issue :
15
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Applied Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.4983ea13ea124d41bb8191753536440d
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/app11157108