DFC CORE +

Difference Frequency Comb – DFC

Comb spacing: 80 MHz or 200 MHz
Stability: 8 · 10^-18in 1 s*, 5 · 10^-20 in 1000 s*
Accuracy: 1 · 10^-18 for τ > 100 s*
Integrated phase noise f_CEO: < 65 mrad [70 mHz - 20 MHz]
Linewidth: < 1 Hz (locked to optical reference)
Turn-key, full remote control
Patented CERO (“zero-f_CEO”) technology

^{* Phase-locked to optical reference}

The DFC CORE + is a robust, 19 inch compatible optical frequency comb based on Erbium fiber technology. It is the core system for applications like optical clocks, micro wave generation or phase-locking of cw-lasers and can be equipped with additional wavelength extensions and options. Its unique f_CEO-stabilization is based on Difference Frequency Generation (DFG) and comes with many advantages such as high robustness and ultra-low phase noise. The DFC CORE + features an outstanding stability and accuracy which is suitable for use with the best optical clocks. More than 20 years of engineering experience building high-quality scientific and industry-grade lasers went into its design, it’s a true TOPTICA laser.

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Specification

Specifications	DFC CORE +
Center wavelength	1560 nm (420 nm .. 2000 nm available via extensions, see DFC Extensions)
Comb spacing	200 or 80 MHz
Laser outputs	4 or 8, fiber coupled, polarization maintaining, FC/APC
Bandwidth	> 20 nm, each output
Power	> 10 mW, each output
Offset frequency fCEO	fCEO = 0, by passive stabilization via difference frequency generation
Integrated phase noise f_CEO	< 40 mrad [100 Hz .. 2 MHz], < 65 mrad [70 mHz .. 20 MHz]
Linewidth	< 1 Hz *
Loop bandwidth f_rep lock	> 400 kHz (typ. 450 .. 500 kHz)*	10 kHz, optimal with DFC RF
Stability*³	8 · 10^-18 in 1s , 5 · 10^-20 in 1000 s	1 · 10^-13 in 1 s*²
Accuracy	1 · 10^-18 for τ > 100 s*	1 · 10^-14 for τ > 100 s*²
Bandwidth piezo f_rep	> 50 kHz
Reference	Optical reference⁴ or RF reference⁴
Dimensions (H x W x D)	133 x 450 x 633 mm³, incl. electronics
Reference input	· 800 MHz for RF reference · 10 MHz with DFC RF · High bandwidth I_mod (DC .. 10 MHz) for optical reference
Cooling requirements	Air cooled (depending on system config. water cooling might be suggested or mandatory)
Power consumption	< 110 W
Operating conditions	15 .. 24/28 °C (rel. humidity non-condensing) (upper limit depends on system config.)
Weight	< 32 kg
Power supply	100 .. 120 V / 220 .. 240 VAC, 50 .. 60 Hz (auto detect)
Control computer	Laptop, Windows operating system, English
Phase-locked to optical reference, ² Phase-locked to RF reference, ³ contribution of comb excl. reference, ⁴ optional

Options

	Module	Description
Frequency Comb	DFC CORE +	Difference Frequency Comb, 4 offset-free outputs @ 1560 nm, > 10 mW, > 20 nm
Frequency Comb	DFC OPTION 8 OUTPUTS	8 offset-free, CEP stable outputs at 1560 nm
Wavelength extension	DFC EXT	Housing and power supply for DFC wavelength extensions
	DFC IR	1560 nm, high-power, short pulse, for details see Extension specs
	DFC SCIR	980 .. 2000 nm, 1560 nm, high-power, short pulse, for details see Extension specs
	DFC SCNIR	840 .. 980 nm, for details see Extension specs
	DFC NIR	780 nm, for details see Extension specs
	DFC VIS-L	640 .. 860 nm, for details see Extension specs
	DFC VIS-S	420 .. 640 nm, for details see Extension specs
Beat units	DFC BC	Beam combiner (comb + cw laser), adjustable split ratio for comb and cw laser light, free space or fiber-coupled output
	DFC BCF	Beam combiner fiber-coupled (comb + cw laser), fixed split ratio for comb and cw laser light, fiber-coupled output
	DFC MD	Monochromatic detector unit, fiber-coupled, use with DFC BC / DFC BCF
Locking electronics	FALC	Fast laser locking module, 2-channel PID
	PFD	Phase frequency detector, enables remote locking with FALC
	MDFC LOCK	Housing and power supply for up to three pairs of FALC and PFD
	DLC EXT	Housing and power supply for one pair of FALC and PFD
	DFC LOCK UNIT	Package of DLC EXT, FALC and PFD (one each)
Reference	DFC RF	RF reference for DFC CORE+, low-noise oven-controlled quartz, output: 800 MHz, input: 10 MHz
	DFC GPS	GPS frequency reference, output: 10 MHz, stability: 1.3 · 10^-12 @ 1s, 1 · 10^-13 @ 40000 s
	DFC DIST	Low-noise 10 MHz Distribution Amplifier
Accessories	DFC SCOPE	Digital oscilloscope with spectrum analyzer (FFT), for convenient beat monitoring from software
	DFC COUNT +	4 channel dead-time free counter
	MDFC ACCESS	Housing and power supply for DFC Electronic Accessories
	WS7-30	HighFinesse wavelength meter, for convenient determination of comb line number
Rack integration	MDFC	Rack integration of any DFC component and complete comb systems (e.g. MDFC CORE +)

Applications
- Microwave Generation
- Laser Reference
- High-resolution Spectroscopy
- Dual-comb Spectroscopy
- Direct Frequency Comb Spectroscopy
- Interferometry
- Transportable AMO Systems
- Quantum Computing
- CEP-stable Seeders
- Rydberg Excitation (Rydberg Flyer for complete laser solutions)
- Flyer Optical Clocks
Downloads
Literature
- Scientific Article: E. Benkler et al., End-to-end topology for fiber comb based optical frequency transfer at the 10⁻²¹ level, Optics Express [27], 36886 (2019)
- Scientific Article: E. C. Cook et al., Resonant two-photon spectroscopy of the 2s3d ¹D₂ level of neutral ⁹Be Phys. Rev. Applied 101, 042503 (2020)
- Scientific Article: M. Collombon et al., Experimental Demonstration of Three-Photon Coherent Population Trapping in an Ion Cloud, Phys. Rev. Applied 12, 034035, (2019)
- Scientific Article: M. Collombon et al., Phase transfer between three visible lasers for coherent population trapping, Optics Letters Vol. 44, Issue 4 (2019)
- Scientific Article: A. Liehl et al., Ultrabroadband out-of-loop characterization of the carrier-envelope phase noise of an offset-free Er:fiber frequency comb. Optics Letters Vol. 42, Issue 10 (2017)
- Scientific Article: T. Puppe et al., Characterization of a DFG comb showing quadratic scaling of the phase noise with frequency, Optics Letters Vol. 41, Issue 8 (2016)
- Scientific Article: G. Krauss et al., All-passive phase locking of a compact Er:fiber laser system, Opt. Lett., 36, 540 (2011)
- Scientific Article: D. Fehrenbacher et al., Free-running performance and full control of a passively phase-stable Er:fiber frequency comb. Optica Vol. 2, Issue 10 (2015)
- Scientific Article: R. Kliese et al., Difference-frequency combs in cold atom physics, arXiv:1605.02426v1 (2016)
- Scientific Article: D. Brida et al., Ultrabroadband Er:fiber lasers, Laser & Photonics Review 8(3) (2014)
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