Robust Frequency Combs and Lasers for Optical Clocks and Sensing

Optical frequency combs are the key enabling technology that enabled the immense fractional stability of highly-stabilized lasers in the optical regime to be transferred to the RF domain and thus ushered in new generation of optical atomic clock with orders of magnitude improved stability over their RF atomic clock predecessors. Frequency combs have also found applications in spectroscopy, LIDAR, arbitrary waveform generation, and stable microwave oscillators. In Phase 1 Vescent will design, fabricate, and test a polarization maintaining fiber frequency comb useful for frequency stability transfer from the optical domain to the RF domain. Vescent will design and fabricate a fiber-coupled semiconductor saturable absorbing mirror with actuator to control the comb repetition rate. In Phase II Vescent will develop compact diode lasers that will conveniently phase lock to a comb tooth for the purpose of stabilizing a comb tooth or the laser diode.

Highly stable frequency references are needed for position, naviation, and timing applications (PNT). They have been used for exoplanet exploration, precision LADAR, and precision spectroscopy for Earth and planetary science. Frequency combs can be of interest to the NASA SCaN office to set up precise free-space timing networks for navigation, and improve data transmission rates. Free-space timing networks can be employed using NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) for space craft navigation and to improve the GPS system, and for sensitive tests of General Relativity.

Coherent optical frequency combs provide an absolute frequency ruler that covers the visible to near-IR range that can be used for laser stabilization and absolute referencing, and precise distance metrology and mapping using LIDAR. Comb-based spectroscopy including cavity-enhanced spectroscopy provides a tremendous spectral coverage with accurate wavelength position in a relatively compact optical system.

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