The time-programmable frequency comb and its use in quantum-limited ranging

Emily D. Caldwell, Laura C. Sinclair (), Nathan R. Newbury () and Jean-Daniel Deschenes
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Emily D. Caldwell: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Laura C. Sinclair: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Nathan R. Newbury: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Jean-Daniel Deschenes: Octosig Consulting

Nature, 2022, vol. 610, issue 7933, 667-673

Abstract: Abstract Two decades after its invention, the classic self-referenced frequency comb laser is an unrivalled ruler for frequency, time and distance metrology owing to the rigid spacing of its optical output1,2. As a consequence, it is now used in numerous sensing applications that require a combination of high bandwidth and high precision3–5. Many of these applications, however, are limited by the trade-offs inherent in the rigidity of the comb output and operate far from quantum-limited sensitivity. Here we demonstrate an agile programmable frequency comb where the pulse time and phase are digitally controlled with ±2-attosecond accuracy. This agility enables quantum-limited sensitivity in sensing applications as the programmable comb can be configured to coherently track weak returning pulse trains at the shot-noise limit. To highlight its capabilities, we use this programmable comb in a ranging system, reducing the required power to reach a given precision by about 5,000-fold compared with a conventional dual-comb system. This enables ranging at a mean photon per pulse number of 1/77 while retaining the full accuracy and precision of a rigid frequency comb. Beyond ranging and imaging6–12, applications in time and frequency metrology1,2,5,13–23, comb-based spectroscopy24–32, pump–probe experiments33 and compressive sensing34,35 should benefit from coherent control of the comb-pulse time and phase.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05225-8

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