Ronald Holzwarth

Publications (170) View all

• Source

  Available from: Ronald Holzwarth

  Article: Nonlinear amplification of side-modes in frequency combs

  R. A. Probst, T. Steinmetz, T. Wilken, H. Hundertmark, S. P. Stark, G. K. L. Wong, P. St. J. Russell, T. W. Hänsch, R. Holzwarth, Th. Udem
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  ABSTRACT: We investigate how suppressed modes in frequency combs are modified upon frequency doubling and self-phase modulation. We find, both experimentally and by using a simplified model, that these side-modes are amplified relative to the principal comb modes. Whereas frequency doubling increases their relative strength by 6 dB, the growth due to self-phase modulation can be much stronger and generally increases with nonlinear propagation length. Upper limits for this effect are derived in this work. This behavior has implications for high-precision calibration of spectrographs with frequency combs used for example in astronomy. For this application, Fabry-P´erot filter cavities are used to increase the mode spacing to exceed the resolution of the spectrograph. Frequency conversion and/or spectral broadening after non-perfect filtering reamplify the suppressed modes, which can lead to calibration errors.
  Optics Express 05/2013; 21(10):11670. · 3.59 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Christine Wang

  Article: Mid-Infrared Optical Frequency Combs at 2.5µm based on Crystalline Microresonators

  C. Y. Wang, T. Herr, P. Del'Haye, A. Schliesser, J. Hofer, R. Holzwarth, T. W. Hänsch, N. Picqué, T. J. Kippenberg
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  ABSTRACT: The mid-infrared spectral range (lambda 2–20 mm) is of particular importance as many molecules exhibit strong vibrational fingerprints in this region. Optical frequency combs—broadband optical sources consisting of equally spaced and mutually coherent sharp lines—are creating new opportunities for advanced spectroscopy. Here we demonstrate a novel approach to create mid-infrared optical frequency combs via four-wave mixing in a continuous-wave pumped ultra-high Q crystalline microresonator made of magnesium fluoride. Careful choice of the resonator material and design made it possible to generate a broadband, low-phase noise Kerr comb at lambda=2.5 µm spanning 200 nm (ca 10 THz) with a line spacing of 100 GHz. With its distinguishing features of compactness, efficient conversion, large mode spacing and high power per comb line, this novel frequency comb source holds promise for new approaches to molecular spectroscopy and is suitable to be extended further into the mid- infrared.
  Nature Communications 01/2013; 4:1354. · 7.40 Impact Factor
• Article: The Space Optical Clocks Project: Development of high-performance transportable and breadboard optical clocks and advanced subsystems

  S. Schiller, A. Görlitz, A. Nevsky, S. Alighanbari, S. Vasilyev, C. Abou-Jaoudeh, G. Mura, T. Franzen, U. Sterr, S. Falke, [......], G. Barwood, Y. Ovchinnikov, J. Stuhler, W. Kaenders, C. Braxmaier, R. Holzwarth, A. Donati, S. Lecomte, D. Calonico, F. Levi
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  ABSTRACT: The use of ultra-precise optical clocks in space ("master clocks") will allow for a range of new applications in the fields of fundamental physics (tests of Einstein's theory of General Relativity, time and frequency metrology by means of the comparison of distant terrestrial clocks), geophysics (mapping of the gravitational potential of Earth), and astronomy (providing local oscillators for radio ranging and interferometry in space). Within the ELIPS-3 program of ESA, the "Space Optical Clocks" (SOC) project aims to install and to operate an optical lattice clock on the ISS towards the end of this decade, as a natural follow-on to the ACES mission, improving its performance by at least one order of magnitude. The payload is planned to include an optical lattice clock, as well as a frequency comb, a microwave link, and an optical link for comparisons of the ISS clock with ground clocks located in several countries and continents. Undertaking a necessary step towards optical clocks in space, the EU-FP7-SPACE-2010-1 project no. 263500 (SOC2) (2011-2015) aims at two "engineering confidence", accurate transportable lattice optical clock demonstrators having relative frequency instability below 1\times10^-15 at 1 s integration time and relative inaccuracy below 5\times10^-17. This goal performance is about 2 and 1 orders better in instability and inaccuracy, respectively, than today's best transportable clocks. The devices will be based on trapped neutral ytterbium and strontium atoms. One device will be a breadboard. The two systems will be validated in laboratory environments and their performance will be established by comparison with laboratory optical clocks and primary frequency standards. In this paper we present the project and the results achieved during the first year.
  06/2012;
• Source

  Available from: ipv6.ppk.itb.ac.id

  Article: A 920-kilometer optical fiber link for frequency metrology at the 19th decimal place.

  K Predehl, G Grosche, S M F Raupach, S Droste, O Terra, J Alnis, Th Legero, T W Hänsch, Th Udem, R Holzwarth, H Schnatz
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  ABSTRACT: Optical clocks show unprecedented accuracy, surpassing that of previously available clock systems by more than one order of magnitude. Precise intercomparisons will enable a variety of experiments, including tests of fundamental quantum physics and cosmology and applications in geodesy and navigation. Well-established, satellite-based techniques for microwave dissemination are not adequate to compare optical clocks. Here, we present phase-stabilized distribution of an optical frequency over 920 kilometers of telecommunication fiber. We used two antiparallel fiber links to determine their fractional frequency instability (modified Allan deviation) to 5 × 10(-15) in a 1-second integration time, reaching 10(-18) in less than 1000 seconds. For long integration times τ, the deviation from the expected frequency value has been constrained to within 4 × 10(-19). The link may serve as part of a Europe-wide optical frequency dissemination network.
  Science 04/2012; 336(6080):441-4. · 31.20 Impact Factor
• Article: Stable diode lasers for hydrogen precision spectroscopy

  J. Alnis, A. Matveev, N. Kolachevsky, T. Wilken, R. Holzwarth, T. W. Hänsch
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  ABSTRACT: We report on an external cavity diode laser at 972 nmstabilized to a mid-plane mounted Fabry-Perot (FP) resonator with afinesse of 400000. The 0.5 Hz optical beat note line width betweentwo similar lasers (Allan deviation 2 × 10-15) is limitedby thermal noise properties of two independent FP resonators. Thelong term drift of the FP resonator and mirror substrates made fromUltra-Low-Expansion glass (ULE) is small and can be well predictedon time intervals up to many hours if the resonator is stabilized atthe zero thermal expansion temperature Tc. Using a Peltierelement in a vacuum chamber for temperature stabilization allowsstabilization of the FP cavity to Tc which is usually below theroom temperature. Beat note measurements with a femtosecond opticalfrequency comb referenced to a H-maser during 15 hours have shown awell defined linear drift of the FP resonance frequency of about 60 mHz/s with residual frequency excursions of less than ±20 Hz.
  The European Physical Journal Special Topics 04/2012; 163(1):89-94. · 1.56 Impact Factor