Tunable dual-comb from an all-polarization-maintaining single-cavity dual-color Yb:fiber laser

Author(s)

Jakob Fellinger, Aline Mayer, Georg Winkler, Wilfrid Grosinger, Gar-Wing Truong, Stefan Droste, Chen Li, Christoph M. Heyl, Ingmar Hartl, Oliver H. Heckl

Abstract

We demonstrate dual-comb generation from an all-polarization-maintaining dual-color ytterbium (Yb) fiber laser. Two pulse trains with center wavelengths at 1030 nm and 1060 nm respectively are generated within the same laser cavity with a repetition rate around 77 MHz. Dual-color operation is induced using a tunable mechanical spectral filter, which cuts the gain spectrum into two spectral regions that can be independently mode-locked. Spectral overlap of the two pulse trains is achieved outside the laser cavity by amplifying the 1030-nm pulses and broadening them in a nonlinear fiber. Spatially overlapping the two arms on a simple photodiode then generates a down-converted radio frequency comb. The difference in repetition rates between the two pulse trains and hence the line spacing of the down-converted comb can easily be tuned in this setup. This feature allows for a flexible adjustment of the tradeoff between non-aliasing bandwidth vs. measurement time in spectroscopy applications. Furthermore, we show that by fine-tuning the center-wavelengths of the two pulse trains, we are able to shift the down-converted frequency comb along the radio-frequency axis. The usability of this dual-comb setup is demonstrated by measuring the transmission of two different etalons while the laser is completely free-running.

Organisation(s)

Faculty Center for Nano Structure Research

External organisation(s)

Helmholtz-Institute Jena, Thorlabs Inc., Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

Journal

Optics Express

Volume

27

Pages

28062-28074

No. of pages

13

ISSN

1094-4087

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.27.028062

Publication date

09-2019

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103016 Laser physics, 103021 Optics, 103008 Experimental physics

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/19865d3c-ea41-47ce-8067-edf9c7c9e8f7