University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc

Government of the United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Commerce

University of Colorado

Franklyn John Quinlan

Peter J Delfyett

Scott A Diddams

Sarper Ozharar

Josue Davila-Rodriguez

Sangyoun Gee

Ibrahim T Ozdur

Tara Fortier

Jose Aumentado

Frederick Baynes

Andrew Ludlow

John Teufel

Antoine Rolland

Florent Lecocq

An operational environment is disclosed herein that includes a cryogenic environment and a signal source. The cryogenic environment includes a signal target, an optical link, signal converter devices, and an electrical link. Outside of the cryogenic environment, the signal source generates an electric signal. An electric-to-optical converter converts the electrical signal into an optical signal. The optical link delivers the optical signal into the cryogenic environment. Inside the cryogenic environment, an optical-to-electrical converter converts the optical signal back into an electrical signal. The optical-to-electrical converter transfers the electric signal to the signal target.

Delivering signals to cryogenic environments via photonic links

An optical reference cavity includes: a cell that includes: a cylindrical body; end faces; an optical canal having an interior cylindrical geometry; and an exterior surface having an exterior cylindrical geometry; mirrors disposed on the end faces; an aspect ratio that is less than 1; a compression clamp that holds the cell through compression and includes compression platens disposed on the end faces so that the compression platens exert a compressive force to the end faces at a radius from a central axis of the cell so that the cell is compressed by the compression clamp, and a length of the optical canal is unperturbed to first order with a magnitude of the compressive force; and a compression intermediary interposed between the compression platens and end faces, wherein the length of the optical canal is insensitive to vibration coupled to the cell by the compression clamp and compression intermediaries.

Optical reference cavity

A signal generator includes an optical pulse source to provide a plurality of optical pulses; a photosensitive element configured to receive optical pulses and to produce an electrical signal from optical pulses, electrical signalincluding a spectrum that includes a plurality of discrete frequencies that occur at a repetition rate corresponding to that of the optical pulses or a harmonic thereof; a frequency selector to receive the electrical signal from the photosensitive element, to select dynamically the harmonic from the electrical signal and to communicate the dynamically selected harmonic; a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) to receive the harmonic of the electrical signal from the frequency selector and to produce a first output; and a frequency converter to receive the harmonic from the frequency selector and the first output from the DDS, wherein the frequency converter shifts a frequency of the harmonic by an amount substantially equal to a frequency of the first output from the DDS to produce a second output.

Signal generator, process for making and using same

Systems and methods for implementing and using optoelectronic gates are disclosed. One such method includes superimposing an electrical data bit onto a first optical input to produce a pair of first-stage optical outputs. The first one of the pair of first-stage optical outputs carries the electrical data bit and the second carries the complement of the electrical data bit. The method further includes comparing an electrical target bit with the electrical data bit conveyed by the first first-stage optical outputs and with the complement of the electrical data bit conveyed by the second first-stage optical outputs, to determine whether the electrical target bit and the electrical data bit are same or different.

Optoelectronic logic gate

Methods, systems, apparatus and devices for using a modified PDH technique to measure the FSR of an etalon with one part per 10precision. An embodiment of the method for measuring the free spectral range of an etalon can include generating a laser light from a laser source, generating a RF source signal, RF modulating the laser light with the RF source signal to produce an RF modulated laser signal, coupling the RF modulated laser signal through a circulator to the etalon, coupling a reflected RF signal from the etalon through the circulator to photo detector, converting the reflected RF signal to an electrical signal at the photo detector, amplifying the electrical signal, mixing the amplified electrical signal with a RF delayed source signal, linearly scanning a frequency of the RF source signal, and monitoring a peak-to-peak mixer voltage Vduring the linear scanning of the RF source signal frequency to detect a peak-to-peak minimum voltage when the RF modulation frequency is tuned approximately to a free spectral range of the etalon, the result having a precision greater than one part per 10without the use of a high resolution optical spectrum analyzer or a tunable laser. This method is especially useful for etalons with small FSR (less than 10 GHz) because this method does not require a high resolution OSA or tuneable laser. As the ITU grid for DWDM becomes denser, this method will have a larger impact on the FSR measurement of etalons.

High precision measurement of the free spectral range of an etalon

Methods and devices for a coupled optoelectronic oscillator having optical frequency stabilization. The coupled optoelectronic oscillator includes a harmonically mode-locked laser cavity having a Mach-Zehnder modulator for mode-locking and an intracavity Fabry-Perot etalon to allow only one single supermode to lase, a stabilization loop coupled with the Fabry-Perot etalon to detect changes in the laser cavity optical frequency and generate an error signal to compensate for the frequency change to stabilize the mode-locking of the laser frequency stabilization, and an electrical loop between the laser cavity and the stabilization loop for driving the Mach-Zehnder modulator with the coupled optoelectronic oscillator signal.

Growing community of inventors

Longmont, CO, United States of America

Franklyn John Quinlan