Coherent Optical Signal Processing Using Optical Frequency Combs

In this paper, we show recent results in the use of stabilized optical frequency combs from mode-locked diode lasers operating in the telecommunication C-band for applications in coherent parallel signal processing architectures [1]. For selecting and modulating single components within the frequency comb, novel approaches that rely on the properties of injection locked oscillators will be used. These approaches will show that one can simultaneously select single components from a frequency comb and realize either modulation or detection functionality. To demonstrate how stabilized frequency combs can be used in a coherent signal processing scenario, we use the frequency combs and injection locked microcavity lasers to perform real time waveform generation, measurement, and matched filtering. © 2012 IEEE