Long distance frequency transfer through an optical carrier

摘要

Fiber optic networks are an attractive means for the remote distribution of highly stable frequencies from optical clocks. The highest performance is achieved by use of the frequency of the optical carrier itself as the transfer frequency. We will review our measurements on the transfer of optical frequency (a stabilized 1550 nm laser) over fiber optic links with lengths ranging from 38 km to 251 km. We discuss experimental details important for optimum performance and relate our measured performance to the theoretical limit on the phase and frequency noise of the transmitted signal as a function of the transmission distance.