METHODS FOR PRECISION OPTICAL FREQUENCY SYNTHESIS AND MOLECULAR DETECTION

摘要

The present invention relates to precision linewidth control and frequency measurements of continuous wave lasers for the near to far IR spectral regions, precision frequency synthesizers and exemplary applications in molecular detection. Methods and systems are disclosed for simultaneous line narrowing of cw lasers, as well as referencing the desired emission wavelength to a frequency comb laser.

主权项

1. A laser system, comprising:
a laser source generating a cw output beam at an optical emission frequency; a frequency comb source to generate a frequency comb; a detection system that receives a portion of said cw beam and a portion of said frequency comb, said detection system configured to generate a beat signal representative of a frequency difference between a line of the frequency comb and the optical emission frequency of the cw output beam; a stabilizer operatively connected to said detection system to stabilize said beat signal and said cw optical emission frequency; and a frequency shifter disposed downstream from said laser source, the frequency shifter receiving a portion of said cw output beam as an optical input and a frequency shifted beat signal as an electrical input, wherein said frequency shifter generates a line narrowed and frequency shifted cw laser output, said frequency shifter being driven by a signal derived from said beat signal in a feedforward configuration.