Optical pulse oscillator and light frequency measuring apparatus using

Abstract

A microwave active element is connected in series to a drive circuit of a laser light emitting element and the laser light emitting element is caused to operate as a microwave resonator as viewed from the microwave active element. Laser light from the laser light emitting element is delayed by a delay controller and fed back to the laser light emitting element to control its delay time, thereby controlling the microwave resonance frequency. At the resonance frequency the microwave active element oscillates pulses and provides a microwave signal to its output terminal. The laser light emitting element is driven by a current flowing across the microwave active element and repeatedly emits, at its pulse oscillation frequency, laser light pulses of spectral frequencies which bear higher harmonic relation to the self-oscillation frequency of the microwave active element. By frequency sweeping the resonance frequency of the microwave resonator, the frequency of the laser light can be frequency swept. With the use of the frequency-swept laser light, it is possible to obtain a light frequency measuring apparatus for measuring the frequency of light to be measured.