Steve W Sanders

US Patent:

55047718, Apr 2, 1996

Filed:

Nov 3, 1992

Appl. No.:

7/971080

Inventors:

Kerry J. Vahala - San Gabriel CA
Jay W. Dawson - Studio City CA
Steve Sanders - Pasadena CA

Assignee:

California Institute of Technology - Pasadena CA

International Classification:

H01S 3083

US Classification:

372 94

Abstract:

A single-frequency fiber-optic ring laser exhibits improved frequency stability, reduced laser intensity noise, broad tunability and narrow linewidth. The fiber-optic ring laser includes a ring-resonator with a length of single-mode optical fiber, a gain medium of rare earth-doped fiber, a broad-band fiber Fabry-Perot filter for wavelength tuning of the laser, a narrow-band fiber Fabry-Perot filter for suppression of longitudinal ring modes and an optical isolator for preventing interetalon interactions between the tandem fiber Fabry-Perot filters. Selective positioning of the tandem fiber Fabry-Perot filters, relative to the ring laser's gain medium and output coupler, results in laser intensity noise reduction to the standard quantum limit.