Remote transfer of an ultralow-jitter microwave frequency reference signal is demonstrated using the pulse trains generated by a mode-locked fiber laser. The timing jitter in a ~ 30-m fiber link is reduced to 38 attoseconds (as) integrated over a bandwidth from 1 Hz to 10 MHz via active stabilization which represents a significant improvement over previously reported jitter performance. Our approach uses an all-optical generation of the synchronization error signal and an accompanying out-of-loop optical detection technique to verify the jitter performance.

© 2006 Optical Society of America

1. J. Levine, "Introduction to time and frequency metrology," Rev. Sci. Instrum. 70, 2567-2596 (1999). [CrossRef]
2. S. A. Diddams, J. C. Bergquist, S. R. Jefferts, and C. W. Oates, "Standards of time and frequency at the outset of the 21st century," Science 306, 1318-1324 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
3. A. D. Ludlow, M. M. Boyd, T. Zelevinsky, S. M. Foreman, S. Blatt, M. Notcutt, T. Ido, and J. Ye, "Systematic study of the 87Sr clock transition in an optical lattice," Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 033003 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. M. Calhoun, R. Sydnor, and W. Diener, "A stabilized 100-Megahertz and 1-Gigahertz reference frequency distribution for Cassini radio science," Interplanetary Network Progress Rep. 42-148, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California (2002).
5. "Linac Coherent Light Source - LCLS," http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/lcls/index.html.
6. S. M. Foreman, K. W. Holman, D. D. Hudson, D. J. Jones, and J. Ye, "Remote transfer of ultrastable frequency references via fiber networks," Rev. Sci. Instrum. (to be published). [PubMed]
7. K. W. Holman, D. D. Hudson, J. Ye, and D. J. Jones, "Remote transfer of a high-stability and ultralow-jitter timing signal," Opt. Lett. 30, 1225-1227 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
8. T. R. Schibli, J. Kim, O. Kuzucu, G. J. T., S. N. Tandon, G. S. Petrich, L. A. Kolodziejski, J. G. Fujimoto, E. P. Ippen, and F. X. Kaertner, "Attosecond active synchronization of passively mode-locked lasers by balanced cross correlation," Opt. Lett. 28, 947-949 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
9. A. Bartels, S. A. Diddams, T. M. Ramond, and L. Hollberg, "Mode-locked laser pulse trains with subfemtosecond timing jitter synchronized to an optical reference oscillator," Opt. Lett. 28, 663-665 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
10. J. Ye, J. L. Peng, R. J. Jones, K. W. Holman, J. L. Hall, D. J. Jones, S. A. Diddams, J. Kitching, S. Bize, J. C. Bergquist, L. W. Hollberg, L. Robertsson, and L.-S. Ma, "Delivery of high-stability optical and microwave frequency standards over an optical fiber network," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20, 1459-1467 (2003). [CrossRef]
11. J. Ye and S. T. Cundiff, "Femtosecond Optical Frequency Comb Technology: Principle, Operation, and Applications," in Optical frequency combs and their applications, J. Ye and S. T. Cundiff, eds., pp. 12-53 (Springer, 2005).
12. R. K. Shelton, S. M. Foreman, L.-S. Ma, J. L. Hall, H. C. Kapteyn, M. M. Murnane, M. Notcutt, and J. Ye, "Subfemtosecond timing jitter between two independent, actively synchronized, mode-locked lasers," Opt. Lett. 27, 312-314 (2002). [CrossRef]
13. L. E. Nelson, D. J. Jones, K. Tamura, H. A. Haus, and E. P. Ippen, "Ultrashort-pulse fiber ring lasers," Appl. Phys. B 65, 277-294 (1997). [CrossRef]
14. K. W. Holman, "Distribution of an Ultrastable Frequency Reference Using Optical Frequency Combs," Ph.D. thesis, University of Colorado (2004).
15. J.-C. Diels and W. Rudolph, Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena: Fundamentals, Techniques, and Applications on a Femtosecond Time Scale, Optics and Photonics (Academic Press, San Diego, 1996).
16. K. Kikuchi, "Highly sensitive interferometric autocorrelator using Si avalanche photodiode as two-photon absorber," Electron. Lett. 34, 123-125 (1997). [CrossRef]
17. D. J. Jones, S. A. Diddams, J. K. Ranka, A. Stentz, R. S. Windeler, J. L. Hall, and S. T. Cundiff, "Carrier-envelope phase control of femtosecond mode-locked lasers and direct optical frequency synthesis," Science 288, 635-639 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Appl. Phys. B

• L. E. Nelson, D. J. Jones, K. Tamura, H. A. Haus, and E. P. Ippen, "Ultrashort-pulse fiber ring lasers," Appl. Phys. B 65, 277-294 (1997). [CrossRef]

Electron. Lett.

• K. Kikuchi, "Highly sensitive interferometric autocorrelator using Si avalanche photodiode as two-photon absorber," Electron. Lett. 34, 123-125 (1997). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

• J. Ye, J. L. Peng, R. J. Jones, K. W. Holman, J. L. Hall, D. J. Jones, S. A. Diddams, J. Kitching, S. Bize, J. C. Bergquist, L. W. Hollberg, L. Robertsson, and L.-S. Ma, "Delivery of high-stability optical and microwave frequency standards over an optical fiber network," J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 20, 1459-1467 (2003). [CrossRef]

Opt. Lett.

• K. W. Holman, D. D. Hudson, J. Ye, and D. J. Jones, "Remote transfer of a high-stability and ultralow-jitter timing signal," Opt. Lett. 30, 1225-1227 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• T. R. Schibli, J. Kim, O. Kuzucu, G. J. T., S. N. Tandon, G. S. Petrich, L. A. Kolodziejski, J. G. Fujimoto, E. P. Ippen, and F. X. Kaertner, "Attosecond active synchronization of passively mode-locked lasers by balanced cross correlation," Opt. Lett. 28, 947-949 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• A. Bartels, S. A. Diddams, T. M. Ramond, and L. Hollberg, "Mode-locked laser pulse trains with subfemtosecond timing jitter synchronized to an optical reference oscillator," Opt. Lett. 28, 663-665 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• R. K. Shelton, S. M. Foreman, L.-S. Ma, J. L. Hall, H. C. Kapteyn, M. M. Murnane, M. Notcutt, and J. Ye, "Subfemtosecond timing jitter between two independent, actively synchronized, mode-locked lasers," Opt. Lett. 27, 312-314 (2002). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• A. D. Ludlow, M. M. Boyd, T. Zelevinsky, S. M. Foreman, S. Blatt, M. Notcutt, T. Ido, and J. Ye, "Systematic study of the 87Sr clock transition in an optical lattice," Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 033003 (2006). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Rev. Sci. Instrum.

• J. Levine, "Introduction to time and frequency metrology," Rev. Sci. Instrum. 70, 2567-2596 (1999). [CrossRef]
• S. M. Foreman, K. W. Holman, D. D. Hudson, D. J. Jones, and J. Ye, "Remote transfer of ultrastable frequency references via fiber networks," Rev. Sci. Instrum. (to be published). [PubMed]

Science

• D. J. Jones, S. A. Diddams, J. K. Ranka, A. Stentz, R. S. Windeler, J. L. Hall, and S. T. Cundiff, "Carrier-envelope phase control of femtosecond mode-locked lasers and direct optical frequency synthesis," Science 288, 635-639 (2000). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• S. A. Diddams, J. C. Bergquist, S. R. Jefferts, and C. W. Oates, "Standards of time and frequency at the outset of the 21st century," Science 306, 1318-1324 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

• M. Calhoun, R. Sydnor, and W. Diener, "A stabilized 100-Megahertz and 1-Gigahertz reference frequency distribution for Cassini radio science," Interplanetary Network Progress Rep. 42-148, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California (2002).
• "Linac Coherent Light Source - LCLS," http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/lcls/index.html.
• J. Ye and S. T. Cundiff, "Femtosecond Optical Frequency Comb Technology: Principle, Operation, and Applications," in Optical frequency combs and their applications, J. Ye and S. T. Cundiff, eds., pp. 12-53 (Springer, 2005).
• K. W. Holman, "Distribution of an Ultrastable Frequency Reference Using Optical Frequency Combs," Ph.D. thesis, University of Colorado (2004).
• J.-C. Diels and W. Rudolph, Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena: Fundamentals, Techniques, and Applications on a Femtosecond Time Scale, Optics and Photonics (Academic Press, San Diego, 1996).

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