Active vibration-induced PM noise control in optical fibers: preliminary studies

Abstract – Vibration causes mechanical distortions in fiber-optic transmission lines that induce time (phase) fluctuations. RF systems are increasingly using optical fibers in various ways and must occasionally operate in environments with acoustic and structure-born vibration. A scheme is described which enables electronic suppression and cancellation of vibration-induced spurious phase noise in an optical fiber wound on a spool. The scheme is applied to an opto-electronic oscillator (OEO). Close-to-carrier spectral lines often occur due to mechanical vibration of state-of-the-art oscillators. Passive vibration-suppression schemes (shock mounts, isolation chambers, etc.) do not always adequately reduce discrete line spectra that originate from vibration effects. However, vibration can be readily detected and measured by use of accelerometers. One can correct for these low-frequenc