M Squared Lasers Limited

Macquarie University

Stephen Webster

Gareth Thomas Maker

Graeme Peter Alexander Malcolm

Helen Margaret Pask

Richard Paul Mildren

Graeme Malcolm

David James Spence

Jipeng Lin

Ondrej Kitzler

Graeme P A Malcolm

Nils Hempler

A method and system for injection-locking multiple optical amplifiers is disclosed. A master laser is employed to generate a continuous-wave output field. Optical modulators then produce first and second seed optical fields from the continuous-wave output field. The first and second seed optical fields provide an input to injection lock one or more optical amplifiers, optionally at different operating frequencies. Since the first and second seed optical fields are generated from the continuous-wave output field then the output fields of the optical amplifiers exhibit a high phase-coherence with each other and with the continuous-wave output field. Employing the first and second optical fields reduces the requirement to induce large frequency shifts on a single optical field. Techniques for phase-locking the output of the injection-locked laser systems are also provided to further reduce phase noise within the systems.

Injection-locked laser system

A laser system comprising two phase-locked solid-state laser sources is described. The laser system can be phase-locked at a predetermined offset between the operating frequencies of the lasers. This is achieved with high precision while exhibiting both low noise and high agility around the predetermined offset frequency. A pulse generator can be employed to generate a series of optical pulses from the laser system, the number, duration and shape of which can all be selected by a user. A phase-lock feedback loop provides a means for predetermined frequency chirps and phase shifts to be introduced throughout a sequence of generated pulses. The laser system can be made highly automated. The above features render the laser system ideally suited for use within coherent control two-state quantum systems, for example atomic interferometry, gyroscopes, precision gravimeters gravity gradiometers and quantum information processing and in particular the generation and control of quantum bits.

Laser system

A single longitudinal mode ring Raman laser including: a pump source outputting a pump light power, resonantly coupled to a first ring resonator; a optical measurement and piezo-actuator for stabilising the resonant coupling of the pump light power to a first ring resonator; a first ring resonator including a Raman gain medium, wherein the Raman gain medium receives the pump light power and undergoes Raman lasing generating resonated Stokes power at the corresponding Stokes output wavelength; the first ring resonator acting as a feedback loop for the pump light power and the resonated Stokes power and outputting a portion of the Stokes power as the laser output.

Single longitudinal mode ring Raman laser

An optical frequency mixing module is described that comprises a nonlinear medium for frequency mixing the photons of one or more input optical fields to generate an output optical field; a nonlinear medium tuner for automatically phase matching the nonlinear medium to the one or more input optical fields to select the wavelength of the output optical field generated by the nonlinear medium; and a first direction correcting optic. The position of the first direction correcting optic relative to the nonlinear medium is dependent upon the selected wavelength of the output optical field and therefore ensures that the position and angle of propagation of this field remains constant and independent of its wavelength of. The optical frequency mixing modules therefore provides a means for automatically selecting the wavelength of the output field with no deviation being imparted onto the position or angle of propagation of the output field.

Optical frequency mixing module

Growing community of inventors

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Stephen Webster