Electro-optic frequency combs for rapid interrogation in cavity optomechanics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of electro-optic frequency combs generated by integrated digital synthesizers for rapid, high-resolution interrogation of cavity optomechanical sensors, enabling wide-range, parallel measurements.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel electro-optic frequency comb approach for fast, high-resolution sensor interrogation, surpassing traditional mode-locked comb methods.

Findings

Spectral resolution exceeds that of mode-locked combs.

Allows rapid, parallel measurements of cavity modes.

Operates across a wide frequency range up to 500 kHz.

Abstract

Electro-optic frequency combs were employed to rapidly interrogate an optomechanical sensor, demonstrating spectral resolution substantially exceeding that possible with a mode-locked frequency comb. Frequency combs were generated using an integrated-circuit-based direct digital synthesizer and utilized in a self-heterodyne configuration. Unlike approaches based upon laser locking or sweeping, the present approach allows rapid, parallel measurements of full optical cavity modes, large dynamic range of sensor displacement, and acquisition across a wide frequency range between DC and 500 kHz. In addition to being well suited to measurements of cavity optomechanical sensors, this optical frequency comb-based approach can be utilized for interrogation in a wide range of physical and chemical sensors.