Impact of semiconductor laser frequency deviations on fiber optic frequency reference distribution systems

Abstract

An analysis is presented of the effect of the linewidth of a single-longitudinal-mode semiconductor laser on the frequency stability of a frequency reference transmitted over single-mode optical fiber. The interaction of the random laser frequency deviations with the dispersion of the optical fiber is considered to determine theoretically the effect on the Allan deviation of the transmitted frequency reference. It is shown that the magnitude of this effect may determine the limit on the ultimate stability possible for frequency reference transmission on optical fiber, although it is not a serious limitation to present system performance.<>