Phase evolution and instantaneous linewidth of a Fourier domain mode locked laser

摘要

An experimental and theoretical analysis of the dynamics of a Fourier domain mode locked laser, currently one of the fastest swept source lasers applied in optical coherence tomography, is performed. A novel time-resolved technique to measure the laser output electric field allows access to the phase dynamics of the laser and thus the coherence properties. A delay-differential equation model for the laser is used to analyse the system theoretically and via direct simulation. Numerical simulations of the laser output are in excellent agreement with experimentally measured data.