Wavelength Swept Chaotic Laser for Fast Optical Spectral Analysis, Sensing, and Measurement

Abstract

As a high-speed monitoring tool for non-repetitive events, spectral information technology enables in-depth analysis of multiple dimensions and parameters in complex environments. However, traditional spectral information technology faces a trade-off between speed and precision. This study proposes a chaotic swept-source spectral technology based on a Fourier domain mode-locked swept chaotic laser (FDML-SCL). By leveraging the unique spectral delay signature (SDS) of the FDML-SCL, this technology enables self-calibrating spectral analysis and offers a potential solution to imaging blur in interferometric imaging. It also achieves high-precision dynamic sensing capabilities, enabling multi-dimensional parallel ultra-large-capacity grating measurements. This breakthrough overcomes the signal overlap issue inherent in traditional multi-path grating detection and improves wavelength resolution from the picometer to the femtometer level. Furthermore, this work introduces a dynamically swept-frequency chaotic radar-based spectral measurement mechanism and applies it to radar-assisted fiber-optic networks to reduce temporal and frequency congestion. This technology holds the potential to integrate with artificial intelligence, enabling truly intelligent spectral analysis, measurement, and sensing across multiple domains.