Stabilizing RF oscillator based on optical resonator

摘要

Techniques, devices and systems that stabilize an RF oscillator by using an optical resonator that is stabilized relative to a master RF oscillator with acceptable frequency stability performance. In the examples described, the optical resonator is stabilized relative to the master RF oscillator by using a frequency stability indicator based on two different optical modes of the optical resonator. The RF oscillator to be stabilized is then locked to the stabilized optical resonator to achieve the acceptable RF stability in the RF oscillator.

主权项

1. A method for stabilizing a radio frequency (RF) oscillator of interest via an optical resonator stabilized to a master RF oscillator, comprising:
providing an optical resonator that is structured to support a first family of first optical modes and a second, different family of second optical modes, an optical mode in the first family and an optical mode in the second family exhibiting different susceptibilities to one or more external conditions of the optical resonator; selecting a first optical mode in the first family at a first optical frequency and a second optical mode in the second family at a second, different optical frequency to generate a frequency difference between the first optical frequency of the selected first optical mode and the selected second optical mode at the second optical frequency as an indicator of a stability of the optical resonator with respect to the one or more external conditions; monitoring an optical signal from the optical resonator that represents a change in the frequency difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency; stabilizing the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the frequency difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the optical resonator with respect to a master RF frequency from a master RF oscillator; and using information in the optical signal from the optical resonator to operate a locking circuit of an RF oscillator to lock an RF frequency of the RF oscillator of interest with respect to the optical resonator so that the RF oscillator of interest is stabilized relative to the master RF oscillator via the optical resonator.