Radio frequency polarization modulation based on an optical frequency comb

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for generating stable radio-frequency polarization modulation using optical frequency combs, demonstrating its flexibility and long-term stability for potential applications in communications.

Contribution

The work presents a new technique to produce stabilized RF polarization modulation based on optical frequency combs, with demonstrated stability and tunability at different modulation frequencies.

Findings

Stable polarization modulation at frep/2 demonstrated

Flexibility shown with modulation at frep/4

Electrical delay line enables fine-tuning of polarization states

Abstract

We propose a method to generate stabilized radio-frequency polarization modulation based on optical frequency combs. Two pulse trains with the same repetition rate and different offset frequencies generate arbitrary polarization states that are modulated at the offset frequency difference. Long-term stability of the polarization modulation is demonstrated with the modulation frequency at frep/2. Modulation at frep/4 is also demonstrated to show the flexibility of the technique. We employ an electrical delay line to fine-tune the polarization states that constitute the time-dependent modulation.