Enhanced Frequency Noise Discrimination Using Cavity-coupled Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

TL;DR

This paper introduces a cavity-coupled Mach-Zehnder interferometer that enhances frequency noise discrimination with a simple, compact design suitable for integrated laser stabilization.

Contribution

It presents a novel, passive interferometer design that improves frequency noise measurement sensitivity while maintaining simplicity and compactness.

Findings

Achieved sensitivity comparable to Pound-Drever-Hall method

Demonstrated integration on a programmable photonics platform

Proposed structure suitable for laser frequency stabilization

Abstract

Here, an enhanced frequency noise discriminator is proposed using a cavity-coupled Mach-Zehnder interferometer and demonstrated on a general-purpose programmable integrated photonics platform. The frequency noise measurement sensitivity is similar to the well-known Pound-Drever-Hall architecture but owns a passive, simpler, and more compact design. The proposed structure can be utilized in integrated laser frequency stabilization architectures.