Abstract

A wide-span optical frequency comb generator (OFCG) is an important tool in precision measurements. By providing a comb of precisely spaced optical frequency sidebands over a span of several THz, optical frequency differences in the THz range can be efficiently measured with GHz photodetectors and electronics. An OFCG can be implemented with a resonant electro-optic modulator by matching the phase velocities of the optical and microwave fields in the modulator substrate and by placing the modulator inside an optical cavity that is resonant for the input optical beam and the generated sidebands.

© 1997 Optical Society of America