Portable, robust optical

Frequency standards in hollow

optical fiber
Mohammad Faheem,
Rajesh Thapa, Ahmer Naweed,
Greg Johnson, and
Kristan Corwin

Motivation
Develop high accuracy Portable Wavelength
Standards for Telecommunication
Industry.

Outline
Introduction
Broadening Mechanisms and Saturation
Spectroscopy
Frequency measurement.
Previous Work
Our Approach
Experimental Set-up
Results
Limitations
Future Work

Over View
C2H2
frequency

Laser

50 Torr

?
Frequency measurement

Frequency comb

Wavelength Division Multiplex

Demultiplexer
Fiber

Separation between
channel is 1 nm

Coupler
Sources
Output Fibers

- Channel adjustment in WDM (1525-1565 nm) system.

- Calibration of wavelength measurement devices.

Recipe for a Wavelength Standard

Atomic or molecular absorption lines
- Absolute frequency reference.
- Very stable under changing environmental
conditions
- Good references in the 1500 nm region

Good references in 1500 nm region

Acetylene
Hydrogen cyanide
Rubidium

(1510-1540 nm)
(1530-1565 nm)
(1560-1590 nm)

Acetylene ( Also called Ethyne)

H

- Colorless and extremely flammable

- 50 transition lines, spaced by 60-80 GHz

extending from

1515nm-1540 nm

CH
1

H
Symmetric C- H bond Stretching

CC
2

1+ 3 lies in 1.5 m region

CH
3

Stretching Vibrations

Anti-symmetric C- H bond Stretching

Important Broadening In IR Spectroscopy

Absorption (Beers law)

is the absorption cofficient

Ne
/ 2
4 o mc ( wo w) 2 ( / 2) 2

Arbitrary Axis

I I o e ( w ) z

IO

-1

-2

-3
0

Doppler Broadening

500

1000

1500

2000

Frequency in MHz

Absorption sample

Power Broadening
power 1 S

2wo
kT
Doppler
2 ln 2
c
m
C2H2 at room temp. ~ 500 MHz

P
Ps

power ~ 2 max .
Laser spectroscopy by Wolfgang Demtroder

Important broadening near IR spectroscopy

Pressure broadening
and shift
Line Broadening

Pr essure Nv s where s (sin ( R)) RdR

0

C2H2 broadening P(10) ~ 11.6 MHz/Torr

Line Shift
w 2 N v b

where b (1 cos ( R)) RdR

0

C2H2 line shift P(10) ~ 0.29 MHz/Torr

Transit-Time Broadening
Transit time T=d/v

tt 4(v / d ) 2 ln(2)
500 KHz for 0.94 mm dia cavity
Laser spectroscopy by Wolfgang Demtroder

Saturation Spectroscopy
Eliminates Doppler width
Requires high Power (Typically 300 mW
for acetylene)

Dominant Line width

Pressure broadening (~11 MHz/Torr)
Transit-time broadening (coherence
time between laser and molecules)
Power Broadening

Las
e

90%

Pump Beam

Signal Size
Depends linearly on pressure
Depends linearly on sample length

B.S

10%
Probe Beam

M2

M1
Cell
Det.

Frequency Measurement
Frequency = Cycles/second
Definition of time

Caesium 133 atom

Optical frequency ----- In hundreds of THz

Duration of 9 192 631 770 period

Of the radiation corresponding to
the transition between two hyperfine
Level of the ground state of Cs atom.

Its easy to measure in THz ?

Photo Detector ------ In 40-100 GHz

What we need to do?

Mode Locking

Frequency Comb

Time-Frequency Correspondence
E(t)

rt = 1/fr

Fourier transform of periodic signal

I(f)

fr
fo

Laser repetition rate

Offset

discrete frequency components.

fo

fr

fn = n f r + f o

D. J. Jones, et al. Science 288, 635 (2000 )

Measurement of fr and fo
Repetition Rate
fr can be measured with photo-detector in optical path
Offset
I(f)

fo
fr
0

fn

f2n

2fn-f2n = 2(nfrep+fo) - (2nfrep+fo) = f0

Octave Spanning
- Microstructure fiber
- Laser Cavity
D. J. Jones, et al. Science 288, 635 (2000 )

A.Czajkowski,J.E Bernard,A.A.Madej,R.S.Winler
Self reference frequency comb
Unknown signal

fr

fo

f
Unknown signal

App.Phys.B79,45-20 (2004)

Solid core microstructure Fiber

Fused silica core
Cladding

Core

Relative Power (db)

Spectrum Broadening
-20
-30

100 mW
20 mW (1 nJ)
(0.2 nJ)

-40
-50
-60
-70

laser
spectrum

-80
400

600

800
1000
Wavelength (nm)

1200

1.7 m

Frequency comb Set-up

Fiber in
Fiber Laser
10 W
1075 nm

Fiber out
Cr:forsterite Laser

SC

BS

HNLF
stabilized optical
frequency comb
Synthesizer
frep Loop
Filter

nonlinear
crystal
Synthesizer

f0 Loop
Filter

Phase
Detector

DM

Previous work: K.Nakagawa, M.de Labachelerie, Y.Awaji

and Kourogi
(J.opt.soc.Am.B/Vol.13,No.12/December1996)

Cavity :
- Long interaction length.
- High intracavity power (100 mw).
- Fragile.
- Cavity and laser locked to
resonance independently.

Signal Measurement :
- Two photon Rb (778 nm) transition as

a reference.
- Hydrogen Cyanide(1556 nm, P(27)) as a
Intermediate reference.

Previous Work: W.C. Swann and S.L. Gilbert. (NIST)

Pressure-induced shift and broadening of 15101540-nm acetylene wavelength calibration lines ,
Opt. Soc. Am. B, 17, 1263 (2000).

Pressure
broadening & shift
For P(13) broadening 11.4 MHz/Torr
Line shift 0.27 MHz/Torr
Effect of Temp
negligible effect
Used to calibrate Optical Spectrum
Analyzers (OSAs)

Previous Work :A.Czajkowski, A.A.Madej, P.Dube

Development and Study of a 1.5 um Optical frequency Standard referenced to p(16) Saturated
absorption line in the (V1+v3) overtone band of 13C2H2
Optics Communications 234(2004) 259-268

Saturation signal ~ 1 MHz

Measure Power shift 11.4 Hz/mw
Pressure Shift 230 Hz/mTorr

Our Approach
Develop high accuracy portable wavelength Standards for
telecommunication industry.
Through existing Technology :
- Cavity based references are not Portable.
- Transitions in the glass cells can not be further
narrowed.

Solution :

Use molecular absorption inside optical fiber.

Advantages:
- Portable
- Easy to align
- Easier to get high intensities over long path.

Experimental Set-up
To vacuum pump

Gas Inlet

Capacitive
manometers

Gas Inlet

Hollow optical fiber

Probe

Pump

1 mW

(15 - 300) mW

ultimately:

Fiber in

C2H2 molecules

Fiber out

Setup- Optics
PD
Fringe width~156 MHz
Diode
Laser

Mirror

50/50

d2

d1
Mirror
BS

PBS
10/90

EDFA
30/70

Pump Beam

Probe Beam

Fiber
C2H2Cell

PBS

PD
ISO

Probe
Squeezer

PBS
ISO
Squeezer

Pump

/2

PD

Capillary Tube
l
Laser

2a
Power loss

2
1 / latten 3
a
Length 18 cm and dia 330 m

Only 40% transmission

Doppler Broadened signal
observed
No saturation signal.

Fractional Absoption

Too lossy

1.0
0.8

1531.31 nm
50.3 Torr
27.9 Torr
12.3 Torr

0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
300
600
900 1200
Frequency in MHz

Capillary tube
20

90

-1

Absorption Cofficient (cm )

Fractional Absorption in percentage

100

80
70
60
50
0

10

20 30 40
Pressure (mTorr)

50

60

18
16
14
12

Satisfy Beers law

10
8
6
4
2

10

20

30

40

50

60

Pressure (Torr)

10 m PBF gives 50 MHz saturation dip.

300 m should give 1.73 MHz saturation dip.

I 2 2
Ps r
Is

For saturation dip

We need power 865 times

Photonic Bandgap fiber

10 m
loss< 0.02 dB/m

No total internal reflection

Braggs reflection

Transmission (a.u)

10-m Photonic Bandgap fiber

0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
At 10 mW
-0.8
Pump & Probe
Probe
-1.0
Reflection of Pump
-1.2
beam from fiber ends
Saturation Dip
-1.4
-1.6
-1.8
-2.0
-2.2
-1500-1000 -500 0 500 1000 1500
Frequency (MHz)

10-m Photonic Bandgap fiber

Fractional Absorption

1.0

C2H2 at 1531.31 nm

12

112 mW (+ 0.4)
83 mW (+ 0.3)
40 mW (+ 0.2)
20 mW (+ 0.1)
10 mW

0.8
0.6
0.4

0.0
-0.1
-0.2
-0.3
-0.4

112 mW (- 0.2)
83 mW (- 0.1)
40 mW (- 0.1)
20 mW (- 0.05)
10 mW

-0.5
-0.6

-400 -200 0 200 400 600 800

Frequency (MHz)

0.2
0.40

0.0
-1000

-500
0
500
Frequency (MHz)

1000

Significant signal strength at 10

and 20 mW pump powers!

Fractional Absorption

Fractional Absorption

1.2 Torr of

0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0

20

40 60 80
Power(mW)

100 120

Line width in MHz

10-m Photonic Bandgap fiber

Wavelength 1531.31 nm

60
55
50
45
40
35

600

800

1000

1200

Pressure in mTorr

We are transit limited or pressure limited ?

pressure Nv s
P N

Line width does not increase

significantly with pressure which implies
that it is transit time limit.

Fract. Transmission

20-m Photonic Bandgap fiber

20 m core, 60 cm length
Fiber fills to 2 mTorr in ~ 10 s

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2

20 m, 83 cm long PBF at 1531.20 nm0.0

20 40 60 80 100
Time (s)

0.45

Arbitrary units

Arbitrary Unit

Michelson's fringes
Pump+Probe

-2

Probe only

FWHM 29.6 MHz

0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10

-4
1000

2000

3000

Frequency (MHz)

4000

1600

1800

2000

Frequency in MHz

2200

20-m Photonic Bandgap fiber

32

20 m FBF

Line Width(MHz)

30
28
26
24
22
200

400

600

800

1000

Pressure (mTorr)

Pressure limited ?
Factor of 3 change in pressure gives a factor of
1.2 change in line width
Transit limited

10-m, 20- m PBF data Comparison

Line width in MHz

60
55
50
45

Transit Time

10 m PBF
20 m PBF

40

tt 4(v / d ) 2 ln(2)

35
30
25
20
200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Pressure in mTorr

To reduce Transit time Broadening:

increase fiber hole size
-or- find a heavier molecule
-or- Decrease the velocity of molecule by
cooling

Ultimate limits
Signal strength:
optimal fiber length for pressure.

Noise
Interference (probe with stray/reflected pump)
laser intensity noise

Linewidth: (target < 1 MHz)

transit time broadening
pressure-broadening
To narrow the transition, we must:
reduce transit-time broadening
reduce the pressure
lengthen the fiber

Conclusions
- Observed saturated absorption features in photonic
bandgap fiber for first time.
- Significant absorption fraction observed at low
power (< 20 mW), with 23 MHz-wide feature.
- Confirmed transit time broadened, 20 m produce
narrower feature than 10 m fibers

Future Plan
Near-term:
Make more portable, reduce noise.
Build frequency Comb for absolute measurement.
Observe dependence of different broadening
mechanisms.
Observe the shifts in Photonic bandgap fibers.

Longer-term:
Seal the fiber filled with gas. (Greg Johnson)
Narrow the transition
Explore larger photonic bandgap fibers
Explore other gases.

Thank You

Photonic Bandgap fibers

Index
guiding

Hollow Core guiding

10 m

Fractional Absorption

Saturated absorption feature width

0.02
0.00
-0.02
-0.04
-0.06
-0.08

~ 40 MHz

-0.10
-1000

10 mW
20 mW

-500
0
500
Frequency (MHz)

1000

Transit time broadening: Naive

estimate
t= d/v = ~1/50 MHz
Pressure broadening:
11 MHz/Torr * 1.2 Torr = 13.2 MHz

Important Broadening In IR Spectroscopy

Doppler Broadening
Molecules are in motion when they absorb
energy. This causes a change in
the frequency of the incoming radiation.

Pressure broadening
Produce by the shifts of energy levels by
interaction of radiating atom with near by
particles

Transit time Broadening

The interaction time of molecules with the
radiation field is small with the
spontaneous life time of excited levels

Power Broadening
Molecules absorb energy from intense laser.
This causes a energy shift causing broadening.