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Self-starting, self-regulating Fourier domain mode locked fiber laser for OCT imaging

We present a Fourier domain mode locking (FDML) fiber laser with a feedback loop allowing automatic startup without a priori knowledge of the fundamental drive frequency. The feedback can also regulate the drive frequency making the source robust against environmental variations. A control system sa...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Murari, Kartikeya, Mavadia, Jessica, Xi, Jiefeng, Li, Xingde
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Optical Society of America 2011
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3130584/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21750775
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/BOE.2.002005
Descripción
Sumario:We present a Fourier domain mode locking (FDML) fiber laser with a feedback loop allowing automatic startup without a priori knowledge of the fundamental drive frequency. The feedback can also regulate the drive frequency making the source robust against environmental variations. A control system samples the energy of the light traversing the FDML cavity and uses a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) to drive the tunable fiber Fabry-Perot filter in order to maximize that energy. We demonstrate a prototype self-starting, self-regulating FDML operating at 40 kHz with a full width tuning range of 140 nm around 1305 nm and a power output of ~40 mW. The laser starts up with no operator intervention in less than 5 seconds and exhibits improved spectral stability over a conventional FDML source. In OCT applications the source achieved over 120 dB detection sensitivity and an ~8.9-µm axial resolution.