In the ever-advancing realm of modern technology, the demand for unparalleled precision and stability in timekeeping and frequency control has surged to unprecedented heights. As our interconnected world rellies more than ever on intricate synchronization and seamless communication, the development of cutting-edge optical infrastructure has emerged as a cornerstone in meeting these exacting demands. There has been obvious increased continuous focus on precise time and frequency transmission dissemination at a national and international level recently. We would like to present the situation in the Czech Republic, our strategy, approach, and our experience with a non-commercial, costeffective solution that utilizes optical networks shared with other traffic. The presented solution provides accurate time and stable frequency at a lower operational cost, using the shared spectrum of the CESNET3 network infrastructure.
Dissemination of precise time and frequencies and its corresponding infrastructure has become a key tool for many scientific and industrial applications (optical clocks comparisons, global navigation and positioning systems, security). Although most of these transfers use optical fibre networks, free-space photonic links represent an essential supplement in cases where the fibres cannot be utilised. This work presents pilot experimental results of free-space optical (FSO) link phase noise measurement, an initial requirement for further intended phase-coherent transfer of precise time and frequency. The measurement setup consists of a 30 m long unidirectional FSO (DUT) supplied by an ultra-narrow 1540 nm fibre laser (locked to the ultra-stable optical cavity), and it is supplemented with parallel phase-noise stabilised optical fibre delivering the reference beam to the beat-note with the signal obtained from the FSO receiver.
The definition of both meter and second relies on precisely measured frequency. The convenient sources of such frequencies are lasers stabilized by molecular vapours. The He-Ne lasers stabilized by iodine vapours represent the cornerstone sources in the visible spectrum. On the other hand, the infrared spectrum (particularly 1550 nm C-band) is of metrological interest thanks to its cost-effective, readily available components. The widely used absorption media at 1550nm has been two acetylene isotopes (12C2H2, 13C2H2), while H13C14N represents an alternative covering a broader spectrum well corresponding to the telecommunication C-band.
Precise Time and Frequency dissemination and its essential infrastructure on national or even international level are being focused recently. We present here the situation in Czechia, our strategy and approach to contribute with experience of non–commercial solution, open activity utilizing optical networks shared with other data traffic. The cost efficient solution of accurate time and very stable frequency is realized, and operated within shared spectrum of CESNET network infrastructure; the costs are under control then. We are focused on future developments, plans, upgrades concerning wavelength bands and geographic solutions and extensions. Bidirectional dark channels on various wavebands, we do realize them to utilize shared leased fibers, bidirectional compensation of the fiber losses is the benefit or must for these solutions. When operating precise Time and Frequency, single path with bidirectional amplification performed by optical amplifiers is preferred, however it is sensitive to feedbacks by fiber line, caused mainly by back scattering, reflections, and potential to cause unwanted oscillations. The interference with parallel data transmissions is the issue being carefully solved. Within this paper, we also briefly mention CLONETS Design Study project where we share the experience, and the consortium is about to plan and realize the coherent Pan-European Time and Frequency dissemination network to interconnect national research network, and to provide various Time and Frequency services for a wide range of users, research, non-commercial and commercial as well.
The fiber infrastructure in buildings can pose a security risk. Using interferometric measurement techniques, a fibre installed in a room can be turned into a sensitive microphone and thus misused for eavesdropping. In our contribution we are investigating the transfer of mechanical vibrations to the fiber in the audible frequency band. An installation of optical fiber connecting two buildings of the institute was measured using a heterodyne interferometric system. The phase changes of an ultra-narrow C-band laser working at 1540.5nm wavelength transmitted through the fiber were detected and converted to an audio signal. The power spectral density of the interference phase for audible Fourier frequencies was analyzed over a period of several working and non-working days. A practical example of post-processing the measured data for speech eavesdropping is discussed.
The precise optical resonators represent a key tool for ultra-narrow linewidth laser frequency stabilisation. They can serve as references for lasers of optical clock systems, optical frequency combs locking, dissemination of precise time and frequencies over optical links, or laser interferometry. The critical properties of these resonators are determined by their design, used materials and environmental conditions where they are operated. This contribution describes the design and performance of the “kHz” linewidth optical cavity intended for spectral-narrowing of a 1541 nm fibre laser. The cylindrical-shaped Fabry-Perot resonator with optical mirrors and a spacer part made of ceramics with ultra-low thermal expansion coefficient is placed inside the multi-shielded vacuum and thermostated chamber. The optical setup employs the Pound-Drewer-Hall locking technique for laser locking, and the resonator’s performance is measured by the ring-down measurement.
National time and frequency dissemination networks are being developed in many countries; also international connections are being established. In the contribution we present Czech Infrastructure for Time and Frequency as a non-commercial, open activity focused on the transfer of accurate time and very stable frequency using optical networks. The national optical infrastructure for time and frequency transfer is operated on top of the CESNET network infrastructure, to have operational cost under control. We also address actually running and planned upgrades and future development plans regarding wavelength bands and considered geographic extensions. We will also focus on creation of bidirectional dark channels on different wavebands within shared fibers together with bidirectional compensation of fiber losses. Single path bidirectional amplification utilizing lumped optical amplifiers is sensitive to feedback from fiber line like back scattering and reflections and in case of increased feedback can produce unwanted oscillations, which potentially interfere with parallel data transmissions. We will also briefly mention the CLONETS-DS project working on design study for coherent Pan-European time and frequency dissemination network, which would connect national networks and provide different services based on time and frequency for a wide range of users.
Precise time and ultra-stable optical frequency transfers over fiber networks are deployed relatively often these days. When size of such infrastructure for precise time and frequency bidirectional transmission is becoming significant, aspects associated with infrastructure operational cost and time needed for deployment of time and frequency transmission must be considered. First can be decreased via fiber sharing with telecommunication traffic, however spectral allocation must be considered carefully to avoid mutual disturbance of time and frequency transmission versus data and allow future accommodation of growing demands. In text, we show and discuss alternative spectral bands to be used for time and frequency transmission. Time to deployment can be quite excessive especially when transmission must be established via multiple networks or network domains, also there is a chance of blocking. In case of precise time and optical radio frequency transmission it is possible to use conversion from optical to electrical and back to optical domain with wavelength change. This possibility removes danger of blocking and improves time to deployment for such services. We also address possibility to change wavelength or just extend reach by using simple re-amplify and reshape approach.
Article summarizes past and continuous development, and especially current state of Czech national research infrastructure for Clock Network Services and future development plans. The focus is on used transmission means and stabilization techniques, available and planned wavelength bands and also plans for geographic extensions.
The paper focuses on showing past, current and ready to start time and frequency (metrology) projects taking place in Europe aimed to long haul time and frequency transfers over optical fibers. It addresses both EURAMET and Horizon2020 projects’ scope. Focus will be given to Coordination and Support Action project CLOck NETwork Services (CLONETS) - Strategy and innovation for clock services over optical-fibre networks and proposed subsequent design study CLONETS-DS. Attention will be given also to effort of Research and Education Networks (NRENs) as pioneer network operators into this field.
Optical fibers are becoming commonly used beside data transmissions for dissemination of ultra-precise and stable quantities or alternatively as distributed sensors of for example acoustic and mechanic vibrations, seismic waves, temperature etc. There have been developed methods for these transfers and their stabilization, allowing thus to achieve excellent performances. Such performance is bound with utilization of single physical medium for both ways of propagation. These methods are attractive both for very high-performance applications and as a secure alternative complementary to radio and satellite-based transfer methods. From economical point of view, sharing fibers with regular data traffic is an advantage, especially for longer distances and large infrastructures. Unfortunately, the most often used wavelengths are located almost in the middle of telecommunication band. Due to continuous data traffic growth and utilization of flexible spectral allocation, the collision in wavelength plan will occur more and more often. In this paper we overview alternative wavelengths suitable for these transfers, we also propose suitable methods for all-optical reach extension, by all-optical amplification. Shared line design allowing transfer of ultra-stable quantities in three different spectral bands is proposed and such design is evaluated.
The reach of any all-optical transmission is limited by attenuation of transmission path and other factors as signal to noise ratio, and it can be extended by all-optical amplification. Bidirectional single fibre transmission introduces an issue of bidirectional symmetrical amplifiers in order not to lose advantage of path symmetry. In case of time transfer, quasibidirectional amplification might be acceptable when supported by specific arrangements, e.g. as much as possible equal arrangement for disjoint segments of the path. Time transfer with best available accuracy or optical frequency transfers require single path optical amplifiers that are further considered. In this constitution, unfortunately, reflections together with Rayleigh back-scattering will create feedback. In case feedback is strong enough and discrete amplifier operates in high gain regime (about 20dB), the whole system will start to oscillate. It saturates the gain of amplifiers and also can generate errors, when lasing in a transmission band. In the article, we review possible all optical amplification methods including those allowing to use untraditional transmission bands (outside C band).
The laser spectroscopy is a fundamental approach for the realisation of traceable optical frequency standards. In the 1:55 μm wavelength band, widely used in telecommunications, the acetylene is the typical and the most widespread absorption media. We present our investigation of using the hydrogen cyanide (HCN) as a cost-efficient and readily available alternative, that also provides a wider frequency span (from 1527nm to 1563 nm). We have compared the practical aspects of using new absorption media in comparison to existing experience with the acetylene with an outlook to carry out an independent measurement of the entire spectra. The results should contribute to the future inclusion of the HCN spectroscopic data into the Mise en pratique, thus allowing for the use of HCN as a reference for the realisation of traceable laser standards.
Optical fiber links in Europe are with growing importance utilized in comparison campaigns of experimental optical clocks to verify their ultimate relative stability. We present a 306 km long optical fiber link established in the Czech Republic between ISI CAS Brno and CESNET Prague. This link will to deliver stable optical frequencies from laser standards located at ISI CAS in Brno to prospective academic and industrial partners in the Prague area. Our contribution reports on the current state of the fiber link for phase-coherent transfer of optical frequency. The long-haul link operates on an internet communication fiber in a dedicated 1540-1546nm DWDM window. A narrow-linewidth laser (Koheras BASIK) working at 1540.5 nm locked to a high-finesse optical cavity (Q = 300 000) serves as the optical frequency standard and source of highly coherent laser light at the transmitting side.
Long distance precise frequency and accurate time transfer methods based on optical fiber links have evolved rapidly in recent years, demonstrating excellent performance. They are attractive both for very high-performance applications and as a secure alternative complement to radio- and satellite-based methods. In this paper, we present development of infrastructure for such transmission containing 700+km of transmission lines, with planned cross border optical frequency connectivity. According to our knowledge, this will be the third such line globally. The infrastructure also shares fibers with existing data transmissions, both amplitude and phase modulated, which poses high demands on mutual isolation and insensitivity to cross talks.
The air refractive index is an important parameter in interferometric length measurements, since it substantially
affects the measurement accuracy. We present a refractive index of air measurement method based on monitoring
the phase difference between the ambient air and vacuum inside a permanently evacuated double-spaced cell.
The cell is placed in one arm of the Michelson interferometer equipped with two light sources—red LED and
HeNe laser, while the low-coherence and laser interference signals are measured separately. Both phase and group
refractive indices of air can be calculated from the measured signals. The method was experimentally verified by
comparing the obtained refractive index values with two different techniques.
The infrastructure essentialities for accurate time and stable frequency distribution are presented. Our solution is based on sharing fibers for a research and educational network carrying live data traffic with time and frequency transfer in parallel. Accurate time and stable frequency transmission uses mainly dark channels amplified by dedicated bidirectional amplifiers with the same propagation path for both directions of transmission. This paper targets challenges related to bidirectional transmission, particularly, directional nonreciprocities.
We report on the length measuring instrument with the absolute scale that was based on the combination of an optical frequency comb and a passive optical cavity. The time spacing of short femtosecond pulses, generated by the optical frequency comb, is optically phase locked onto the cavity free spectral range with a derivative spectroscopy technique so that the value of the repetition frequency of the femtosecond laser is tied to and determines the measured displacement. The instantaneous value of the femtosecond pulse train frequency is counted by a frequency counter. This counted value corresponds to the length given by the spacing between the two mirrors of the passive cavity. The phase lock between the femtosecond pulsed beam and the passive cavity is possible due to the low-dispersion of the cavity mirrors, where the silver coating on the mirrors was used to provide the low dispersion for the broadband radiation of the comb. Every reflection on the output mirror feeds a portion of the beam back to the cavity so that the output beam is a result of multiple interfering components. The parameters of the output beam are given not only by the parameters of the mirrors but mainly by the absolute distance between the mirror surfaces. Thus, one cavity mirror can be considered as the reference starting point of the distance to be measured and the other mirror is the measuring probe surveying the unknown distance. The measuring mirror of the experimental setup of the low-dispersion cavity is mounted on a piezoelectric actuator which provides small changes in the cavity length we used to test the length measurement method. For the verification of the measurement accuracy a reference incremental interferometer was integrated into our system so that the displacement of the piezoelectric actuator could be obtained with both measuring methods simultaneously.
Optical fibre links for distributing optical frequencies and time stamps were researched and experimentally tested in the past fifteen years. They have been used mainly for stability comparison of experimental optical clocks. But recent development puts demands on a technology transfer from laboratory experiments to the real industry. The remote calibration of interrogators of Fibre Bragg Grating strain sensory networks is one of important examples. The first step of the adoption the time and frequency broadcasting should be the drop-out free long-term operation of this technology between research laboratories connected via long-haul fibre links. We present a 306 km long-haul optical fibre link between the cities of Prague and Brno in the Czech Republic where a coherent transfer of stable optical frequency and a stable time signal has been firstly demonstrated. The link between ISI CAS Brno and CESNET Prague uses an internet communication fibre where a window of 1540-1546 nm is dedicated for the coherent transfer and 1PPS signal. The link is equipped with 6 bidirectional EDFA amplifiers. The optical frequency standard based on the highly-coherent laser Koheras Adjustik working at 1540.5 nm and stabilized with a saturation absorption spectroscopy technique was used for the coherent wave transfer. The suppression of the Doppler shift induced by the optical fibre was based on an accoustooptical modulator with a servo-loop including a fast PID controller processing the beat-note frequency given by mixing of the Adjustik laser (Brno) and the reflected frequency of this laser from the far end of 306 km long-haul fibre link (Prague). We verified the Doppler shift suppression for the coherent wave with a measuring method analysing the transport delay of the 1PPS signal.
The development of absolute distance measurement methods have been enabled by new kind of lasers, special
digital signal processing electronics, algorithms and new materials for optics. The phenomenon of the mode-lock of
the femtosecond pulse laser increased a number of potential applications with distance surveying where that stable
generator of very short and periodically repeated coherent pulses can be used.
The main aim of the work is a description of precise measuring method with absolute scale which is able to
determine the length of unknown distance with direct traceability to a time standard. The principle of the method is
based on a passive optical cavity with mirrors keeping measured distance, in our case a piezoelectric actuator. Time
spacing of short femtosecond pulses generated by mode-locked laser is optically phase locked to the cavity free
spectral range. A value of the repetition frequency of the laser determines the measured distance. The exact value of
the frequency/period of the femtosecond pulse train is detected by a frequency counter. The counting gate of the
counter is synchronized with a highly stable oscillator disciplined by H-maser or GPS received signal from atomic
clocks. The work shows methods how to overcome problems with dispersive optics in the passive cavity and a way
of phase lock of the femtosecond laser repetition rate to free spectral range of the cavity. This measuring technique is
demonstrated on length characterization of the piezoelectric transducer which belongs to ultra-precise positioning
actuators.
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