Physics Commons^™

Design, Construction, And Stabilization Of An Adjustable Repetition Rate Frequency Comb For Precision Spectroscopy, Matthew Carter

Physics, Astronomy and Geophysics Honors Papers

Optical frequency combs have numerous applications across the sciences. One of the most powerful applications is in molecular spectroscopy, which takes advantage of both the coherence of lasers and combs’ inherent broad bandwidth. One well-established design is the erbium fiber comb, which is popular due to its low cost and relative ease of construction. I have modified the traditional all-fiber design by introducing an adjustable free-space section which allows for adjustments to the path length, and thus the comb’s repetition rate. This low-cost addition allows for repetition rate matching, a necessity for dual-comb spectroscopy, and active repetition rate stabilization, which …