A novel, highly accurate, all electronic technique for phase locking arrays of optical fibers is demonstrated. We report the first demonstration of the only electronic phase locking technique that doesn’t require a reference beam. The measured phase error is λ/20. Excellent phase locking has been demonstrated for fiber amplifier arrays.

© 2006 Optical Society of America

1. V. P. Gapontsev, "New Milestones in the development of super high power fiber lasers," presented at Photonics West, OE/LASE 2006, San Jose, CA, Jan 21-26, 2006.
2. P. K Cheo, A. Liu, and G. G. King, "A High Brightness Laser Beam from a Phase-Locked Multicore Yb-Doped Fiber Laser Array," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 13, 439-441, (2001). [CrossRef]
3. E. J. Bochove, P. K. Cheo, and G. G. King, "Self-organization in a multicore fiber laser array," Opt. Lett. 28, 1200-1202, (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. Hans Bruesselbach, D. C. Jones, M. S. Mangir, M. I. Minden, and J. L. Rogers, "Self-organized coherence in fiber laser arrays," Opt. Lett. 30, 1339-1341, (2003). [CrossRef]
5. R. J. Beach, M. D. Feit, S. C. Mitchell, K. P. Culter, J. W. Dawson, S. A. Payne, R. W. Mead, J. S. Hayden, D. Krashkevich, and D. A. Alunni, "Ribbon fiber with multiple phase-locked gain cores," Proc. SPIE 4974, 7-16, 2003. [CrossRef]
6. R. A. Beach, M. D. Feit, R. H. Page, L. D. Brasure, R. Wilcox, and S. A. Payne, "Scalable antiguided ribbon laser," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19, 1521-1534, (2002). [CrossRef]
7. C. J. Corcoran, "Experimental demonstration of a phase-locked laser array using a self-Fourier cavity," Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 201118-201121 (2005). [CrossRef]
8. B. W. Grimes, W. B. Roh, T. G. Alley, "Phasing of a two-channel continuous-wave master oscillator-power amplifier by use of a fiber phase conjugate mirror," Opt. Lett. 30, 2415-2417, (2005). [CrossRef]
9. R. R. Rice et, J. A. Davis, J. S. Whitely, J. H. Hollister, and N. F. Ruggieri, "Coherent Fiber MOPA," Presented at 14th Annual Solid State and Diode Laser Technology Review, Sean Ross, ed., Albuquerque, NM (2001).
10. J. Abderegg, S. J. Brosnan, M. E. Weber, H. Komine, and M. G. Wickham, "8-watt coherently-phased 4-element fiber array," in Advances in Fiber Lasers, L. N. Durvasula, ed., Proc. SPIE 4974, 1-6 (2003). [CrossRef]
11. S.J. Augst, T. Y. Fan, and Antonio Sanchez, "Coherent Beam Combining and Phase Noise Measurements of Yt fiber Amplifiers," Opt. Lett. 29, 474-476, (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. Michael Wickham, "Coherently Coupled High Power Fiber Arrays," in Fiber Lasers III: Technology, Systems, and Applications, Andrew J. W. Brown, Johan Nilsson, Donald J. Harter, and Andreas Tunnermann, eds., Proc. SPIE 6102, 61020U-1 to 61020U-5 (2006).
13. "A Novel Technique for Phase Locking Optical Fiber Arrays," T. M. Shay and Vincent Benham, in Free-Space Laser Communications IV, Jennifer C. Ricklin and David G. Voelz, eds., Proc. SPIE 5550, 313-319 (2004).; [CrossRef]
14. "First Experimental Demonstration of Fiber Array Phase Locking by RF Phase Modulation," T. M. Shay and Vincent Benham, Proceedings of the 17th Solid State and Diode Laser Technology Review, Sean Ross, ed., pg. BEAM-7 (2004).;
15. "Self-synchronous Locking of Optical Coherence by Single-detector Electronic-frequency Tagging", T. M. Shay, US Patent 7,058,098, June 2006.

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• C. J. Corcoran, "Experimental demonstration of a phase-locked laser array using a self-Fourier cavity," Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 201118-201121 (2005). [CrossRef]

IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett.

• P. K Cheo, A. Liu, and G. G. King, "A High Brightness Laser Beam from a Phase-Locked Multicore Yb-Doped Fiber Laser Array," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 13, 439-441, (2001). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• R. A. Beach, M. D. Feit, R. H. Page, L. D. Brasure, R. Wilcox, and S. A. Payne, "Scalable antiguided ribbon laser," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19, 1521-1534, (2002). [CrossRef]

Opt. Lett.

• E. J. Bochove, P. K. Cheo, and G. G. King, "Self-organization in a multicore fiber laser array," Opt. Lett. 28, 1200-1202, (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• Hans Bruesselbach, D. C. Jones, M. S. Mangir, M. I. Minden, and J. L. Rogers, "Self-organized coherence in fiber laser arrays," Opt. Lett. 30, 1339-1341, (2003). [CrossRef]
• B. W. Grimes, W. B. Roh, T. G. Alley, "Phasing of a two-channel continuous-wave master oscillator-power amplifier by use of a fiber phase conjugate mirror," Opt. Lett. 30, 2415-2417, (2005). [CrossRef]

Proc. SPIE

• R. J. Beach, M. D. Feit, S. C. Mitchell, K. P. Culter, J. W. Dawson, S. A. Payne, R. W. Mead, J. S. Hayden, D. Krashkevich, and D. A. Alunni, "Ribbon fiber with multiple phase-locked gain cores," Proc. SPIE 4974, 7-16, 2003. [CrossRef]

Other

• V. P. Gapontsev, "New Milestones in the development of super high power fiber lasers," presented at Photonics West, OE/LASE 2006, San Jose, CA, Jan 21-26, 2006.
• R. R. Rice et, J. A. Davis, J. S. Whitely, J. H. Hollister, and N. F. Ruggieri, "Coherent Fiber MOPA," Presented at 14th Annual Solid State and Diode Laser Technology Review, Sean Ross, ed., Albuquerque, NM (2001).
• J. Abderegg, S. J. Brosnan, M. E. Weber, H. Komine, and M. G. Wickham, "8-watt coherently-phased 4-element fiber array," in Advances in Fiber Lasers, L. N. Durvasula, ed., Proc. SPIE 4974, 1-6 (2003). [CrossRef]
• S.J. Augst, T. Y. Fan, and Antonio Sanchez, "Coherent Beam Combining and Phase Noise Measurements of Yt fiber Amplifiers," Opt. Lett. 29, 474-476, (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• Michael Wickham, "Coherently Coupled High Power Fiber Arrays," in Fiber Lasers III: Technology, Systems, and Applications, Andrew J. W. Brown, Johan Nilsson, Donald J. Harter, and Andreas Tunnermann, eds., Proc. SPIE 6102, 61020U-1 to 61020U-5 (2006).
• "A Novel Technique for Phase Locking Optical Fiber Arrays," T. M. Shay and Vincent Benham, in Free-Space Laser Communications IV, Jennifer C. Ricklin and David G. Voelz, eds., Proc. SPIE 5550, 313-319 (2004).; [CrossRef]
• "First Experimental Demonstration of Fiber Array Phase Locking by RF Phase Modulation," T. M. Shay and Vincent Benham, Proceedings of the 17th Solid State and Diode Laser Technology Review, Sean Ross, ed., pg. BEAM-7 (2004).;
• "Self-synchronous Locking of Optical Coherence by Single-detector Electronic-frequency Tagging", T. M. Shay, US Patent 7,058,098, June 2006.

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