Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate a novel and practical timing detector based on a double-pass acousto-optic frequency shifter. With time and frequency multiplexing, for the first time to our knowledge, a balanced detection is realized using only a single photodiode, which greatly decreases the excess electronic noise during photodetection. With a total input optical power of 1.4 mW (0.35 mW per pulse train), an almost shot-noise-limited detection floor of 28.3 zs/√Hz is achieved, and the timing jitter integrated from 1 kHz to 1 MHz is reduced from 99.0 as (without eliminating the photodetector electronic noise) to only 30.4 as. Even with an input power of 50 µW per pulse train, 221.4 zs/√Hz detection floor and 268.0 as integrated timing jitter at [1 kHz and 1 MHz] are still maintained. This timing detector provides a powerful tool for high-precision metrology, ultra-long-distance ranging, and large-scale timing synchronization.

© 2023 Optica Publishing Group

Attosecond-precision balanced linear-optics timing detector

Tong Wang, Qun Ren, Kemal Şafak, Franz X. Kärtner, and Ming Xin
Opt. Express 29(23) 38140-38149 (2021)

Unveiling out-of-loop attosecond timing jitter precision in Ti:sapphire mode-locked lasers with an optical heterodyne technique

Haitao Wu, Hao Xu, and Jianye Zhao
Opt. Lett. 49(3) 742-745 (2024)

Timing jitter characterization of mode-locked lasers with <1 zs/√Hz resolution using a simple optical heterodyne technique

D. Hou, C.-C. Lee, Z. Yang, and T. R. Schibli
Opt. Lett. 40(13) 2985-2988 (2015)

Femtosecond-resolution optical pulse interleaving time error detector

Minji Hyun, Changmin Ahn, Youngseok Bae, Junhyung Cho, and Jungwon Kim
Opt. Lett. 48(24) 6472-6475 (2023)

Ultrafast amplifier additive timing jitter characterization and control

Alexis Casanova, Quentin D’Acremont, Giorgio Santarelli, Stefan Dilhaire, and Antoine Courjaud
Opt. Lett. 41(5) 898-900 (2016)