Abstract
We present the results of a detailed theoretical and experimental study of the noise properties of various interferometer systems interrogated using narrowband spontaneous emission. The filtering effect of the interferometer is shown to introduce periodic structure in the optical noise spectrum with a period, level, and modulation depth that depends on the exact interferometer configuration and implementation, as well as the source linewidth and spectral shape. Our theoretical analysis, based on the assumption of a Gaussian random process model for the inherent source noise is in good agreement with our experimental results. Finally, using a dual Mach-Zehnder interferometer incorporating a frequency shifter, we show that minimum phase sensitivities of a few tens of rad/\sqrt Hz can be achieved for practical values of length mismatch by optimization of the source linewidth, heterodyne frequency, and interferometer birefringence. We believe the approach to be suitable for a broad range of sensing applications.
[IEEE ]
PDF Article
More Like This
Cited By
You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.
Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription