TODAY’S PATENT – ACTIVELY MODE-LOCKED, SINGLE-POLARIZATION, PICO SECOND OPTICAL FIBER LASER

Today’s patent was invented by Thomas F. Carruthers and Irl N. Duling,III on December 5, 2000, bearing patent no. H1,926

The current invention pertains to laser sources utilised in optical communication systems and, specifically, to an optical fiber laser source whose repetition rate is precisely regulated by an exact frequency signal standard. A polarization-maintaining loop, a branch that compensates for birefringence, and a length-stabilizing component are all components of an optical fibre laser source that is disclosed. The output pulse train’s pulse duration is reduced by the optical fibre laser source’s soliton pulse compression to 1.3 ps or less. The main goal of this innovation is to provide an actively mode-locked optical fibre laser source whose pulse repetition rate is precisely regulated by an external frequency source. For actively mode-locked functioning of the optical fibre laser source, the present invention is addressed to a polarization-maintaining and birefringence-compensated loop that works in conjunction with a phase-sensitive detector.