Bidirectional Mode-locked Fiber Laser for Dual Comb Spectroscopy

Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed a free-running bidirectional mode-locked fiber laser operating at telecommunications wavelengths. Two coherent femtosecond frequency combs are generated from a single laser cavity to ensure mutual coherent properties and common noise cancellation.

Background: 
Optical frequency combs (OFCs) are useful for many application because of the fact that thousands of highly coherent optical frequencies are accurately and precisely defined with only two degrees of freedom. Currently, OFCs are very expensive and difficult to build. A less expensive, easier to manufacture, and more robust OFC system would open up the technology to more users.

Advantages:

• Less expensive and easier to build
• Common noise cancellation
• Relatively high signal-to-noise ratio

Applications:

• Dual-Comb Spectroscopy
• Optical clocks
• Low phase noise microwave generation
• Coherent LIDAR

Status: issued U.S. Patent #10,197,442