Abstract

Optical frequency integer dividers based on optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are important devices for ultra-high resolution optical frequency measurements and metrology. Compared to dividers based on two or three lasers that are electronically phase-locked via external second harmonic (SHG) and sum or difference frequency generations [1], OPO-dividers allow to implement accurate division by-three of an optical frequency by use of an all-optical phase-locking loop (PLL) that is advantageous in terms of response time or loop bandwidth. The basic device consists of a nonlinear crystal performing the parametric generation 3ω→2ω+ω followed by a second crystal phase-matched for the SHG of the ω-idler wave The OPO can be configured as a doubly, triply resonant (DRO, TRO) or pump-resonant signal resonant (PR-SRO) oscillator

© 2000 IEEE