Self-phase-locked divide-by-2 optical parametric oscillator as a broadband frequency comb source

S. Wong; T. Plettner; K. L. Vodopyanov; R. L. Byer

doi:10.1117/12.808652

23 February 2009 Self-phase-locked divide-by-2 optical parametric oscillator as a broadband frequency comb source

S. Wong, T. Plettner, K. L. Vodopyanov, R. L. Byer

Proceedings Volume 7197, Nonlinear Frequency Generation and Conversion: Materials, Devices, and Applications VIII; 71970Z (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.808652
Event: SPIE LASE: Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering, 2009, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

We investigate coherence properties of a degenerate synchronously-pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) as a divide-by-2 subharmonic generator. Type 0 (e-ee) periodically-poled MgO : LiNbO₃ was used as a nonlinear gain crystal and a femtosecond mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser at 775 nm - as a pump source. We observed that the SPOPO longitudinal modes at degeneracy were phase-coherent with that of the pump. The self-phase-locking and self-stabilization effect can be explained in terms of mutual injection locking between the signal and the idler frequencies of the SPOPO. We confirmed the phase-locking effect by performing interference between pump and frequency-doubled output, as well as beat frequency measurements between the SPOPO output and (i) the pump laser and (ii) an independent continuous-wave (CW) laser. A frequency locking range around SPOPO degeneracy Δf was measured as a function of pump power, when the SPOPO operated in the phase-locking regime. We have found that Δf increased monotonically with the pump power and decreased with the cavity Q, in good accord with our theoretical model based on coupled nonlinear optical wave equations. When the proper regime was chosen, the SPOPO remained phase-locked to the pump without any active stabilization even in the presence of environmental noise. At degeneracy (around 1550 nm), the SPOPO produced 70-fs output pulses with the FWHM spectral width of 210 cm^-1 that is 2.6 times broader than the spectrum of the pump laser.

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S. Wong, T. Plettner, K. L. Vodopyanov, and R. L. Byer "Self-phase-locked divide-by-2 optical parametric oscillator as a broadband frequency comb source", Proc. SPIE 7197, Nonlinear Frequency Generation and Conversion: Materials, Devices, and Applications VIII, 71970Z (23 February 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.808652

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KEYWORDS

Optical parametric oscillators

Mode locking

Frequency combs

Continuous wave operation

Nonlinear crystals

Photons

Crystals

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