Analog FM free-space optical communication based on a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser frequency comb

Abstract

Quantum cascade laser frequency combs are nowadays well-appreciated sources for infrared spectroscopy. Here their applicability for free-space optical communication is demonstrated. The spontaneously-generated intermodal beat note of the frequency comb is used as carrier for transferring the analog signal via frequency modulation. Exploiting the atmospheric transparency window at 4 $\mu$m, an optical communication with a signal-to-noise ratio up to 65 dB is realized, with a modulation bandwidth of 300 kHz. The system tolerates a maximum optical attenuation exceeding 35 dB. The possibility of parallel transmission of an independent digital signal via amplitude modulation at 5 MS/s is also demonstrated.

arXiv comment17 pages, 13 figures

References in corpus (17)

• Octave-spanning semiconductor laser
• Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb Fourier Transform Spectrometer
• Stability of the proton-to-electron mass ratio
• Cavity-enhanced optical frequency comb spectroscopy in the mid-infrared - application to trace detection of H2O2
• Coherent Frequency Combs produced by Self Frequency Modulation in Quantum Cascade Lasers
• Theory of frequency modulated combs in lasers with spatial hole burning, dispersion and Kerr
• Fully phase-stabilized quantum cascade laser frequency comb
• Retrieval of phase relation and emission profile of quantum cascade laser frequency combs
• Proton-electron mass ratio by high-resolution optical spectroscopy of ion ensembles in the resolved-carrier regime
• QCL-based frequency metrology from the mid-infrared to the THz range: a review
• High-precision methanol spectroscopy with a widely tunable SI-traceable frequency-comb-based mid-infrared QCL
• Intrinsic linewidth of quantum cascade laser frequency combs
• Sub-ppb measurement of a fundamental band rovibrational transition in HD
• A new experiment to test parity symmetry in cold chiral molecules using vibrational spectroscopy
• Laser radio transmitter
• Mid-infrared homodyne balanced detector for quantum light characterization
• Testing the Symmetrization Postulate on Molecules with Three Identical Nuclei

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Characterization of noise regimes in Mid-IR free-space optical communication based on quantum cascade lasers
• Intensity correlations in quantum cascade laser harmonic frequency combs
• Shot-noise-limited emission from interband and quantum cascade lasers
• Coherent Control of Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb by Optical Injection of Near-Infrared Light
• Electron-to-photon noise transfer in mid-infrared semiconductor lasers
• Non-resonant Optical Injection Locking in Quantum Cascade Laser Frequency Combs