• Photonics Research
  • Vol. 12, Issue 4, 663 (2024)
Baoqi Shi1、2、†, Yi-Han Luo2、3、†, Wei Sun2, Yue Hu2、3, Jinbao Long2, Xue Bai2, Anting Wang1、5, and Junqiu Liu2、4、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Optics and Optical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
  • 2International Quantum Academy, Shenzhen 518048, China
  • 3Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
  • 4Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230088, China
  • 5e-mail: atwang@ustc.edu.cn
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    DOI: 10.1364/PRJ.510795 Cite this Article Set citation alerts
    Baoqi Shi, Yi-Han Luo, Wei Sun, Yue Hu, Jinbao Long, Xue Bai, Anting Wang, Junqiu Liu. Frequency-comb-linearized, widely tunable lasers for coherent ranging[J]. Photonics Research, 2024, 12(4): 663 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Tunable lasers, with the ability to continuously vary their emission wavelengths, have found widespread applications across various fields such as biomedical imaging, coherent ranging, optical communications, and spectroscopy. In these applications, a wide chirp range is advantageous for large spectral coverage and high frequency resolution. Besides, the frequency accuracy and precision also depend critically on the chirp linearity of the laser. While extensive efforts have been made on the development of many kinds of frequency-agile, widely tunable, narrow-linewidth lasers, wideband yet precise methods to characterize and linearize laser chirp dynamics are also demanded. Here we present an approach to characterize laser chirp dynamics using an optical frequency comb. The instantaneous laser frequency is tracked over terahertz bandwidth at 1 MHz intervals. Using this approach we calibrate the chirp performance of 12 tunable lasers from Toptica, Santec, New Focus, EXFO, and NKT that are commonly used in fiber optics and integrated photonics. In addition, with acquired knowledge of laser chirp dynamics, we demonstrate a simple frequency-linearization scheme that enables coherent ranging without any optical or electronic linearization unit. Our approach not only presents novel wideband, high-resolution laser spectroscopy, but is also critical for sensing applications with ever-increasing requirements on performance.
    RMSE=i=1T(αi/αset1)2T,

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    V(t)cos(2πΔft)=cos(2πα2dct).

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    V(t)=cos(2π2dct).

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    Baoqi Shi, Yi-Han Luo, Wei Sun, Yue Hu, Jinbao Long, Xue Bai, Anting Wang, Junqiu Liu. Frequency-comb-linearized, widely tunable lasers for coherent ranging[J]. Photonics Research, 2024, 12(4): 663
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