Optical fibers with interferometric path length stability by controlled heating for transmission of optical signals and as components in frequency standards

摘要

We present a simple method to stabilize the optical path length of an opticalfiber to an accuracy of about 1/100 of the laser wavelength. We study thedynamic response of the path length to modulation of an electrically conductiveheater layer of the fiber. The path length is measured against the laserwavelength by use of the Pound-Drever-Hall method; negative feedback is appliedvia the heater. We apply the method in the context of a cryogenic resonatorfrequency standard.