An interband cascade laser based heterodyne detector with integrated optical amplifier and local oscillator.

Heterodyne detection based on interband cascade lasers (ICL) has been demonstrated in a wide range of different applications. However, it is still often limited to bulky tabletop systems using individual components such as dual laser setups, beam shaping elements, and discrete detectors. In this work, a versatile integrated ICL platform is investigated for tackling this issue.

Amplitude noise suppression in Yb:doped NALM oscillators utilizing saturable absorber settings.

Optical frequency combs based on fiber lasers mode-locked (ML) with a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) have become the backbone of many cutting-edge applications, ranging from precision spectroscopy to quantum physics. Being extremely precise measurement tools, understanding their passive stability and low-noise operation regimes is vital. While several influences on the laser noise have been studied, many parameters remain poorly understood.

Simple approach for extending the ambiguity-free range of dual-comb ranging.

Dual-comb (DC) ranging is an established method for high-precision and high-accuracy distance measurements. It is, however, restricted by an inherent length ambiguity and the requirement for complex control loops for comb stabilization. Here, we present a simple approach for expanding the ambiguity-free measurement length of DC ranging by exploiting the intrinsic intensity modulation of a single-cavity dual-color DC for simultaneous time-of-flight and DC distance measurements.