Chapter 3
Modulation Methods of Laser Emission
in Optoelectronic oscillator (OEO)
and OEO Differential Equations
This chapter is devoted to an analysis of laser emission modulation methods and
formulation of mathematical model of the autonomous optoelectronic oscillator
(OEO) on the base of nonlinear differential equations. Section 3.1 presents two
methods of laser emission modulation: the direct (internal) electrical method and the
external modulation through the electro-optical modulator offered by Mach and
Zehnder. Before beginning of material discussion, in order to explain a consequence
and the logic of description, we briefly describe the structure of mathematical
analysis of the laser optoelectronic oscillator in this chapter and in the following
chapters.
After brief description of two operation principles for internal and external
approaches, we discuss its structural realization (Sect. 3.1.2). The complexity of
both approaches is related to the nonstandard way of description of the nonlinear
method modulation for the internal (direct) structure and the utilization of the
specific Mach–Zehnder modulator for the first stage on external modulation: the
phase modulation in the optical channels of the external MZ modulator, and (at the
second modulation stage) conversion (after fiber optical delay line) of the phasemodulated laser emission into the amplitude-modulated radio-frequency signal in
the nonlinear photodetector.
Methods, which permit to achieve excellent technical RF characteristics of OEO
in microwave and mm-wave ranges, include:
• utilization the specific quantum-well laser diodes (QWLD) with the low phase
noise level;
• active low-noise delay line on the base of the optical fiber;
• heterodyning (spectrum transformation) of the phase noise in the light-sensitive
area of the nonlinear photodetector (Sect. 3.1.3);
• application of the laser emission modulation method with the single sideband
(in the optical region) with suppression of the optical carrier frequency in the
optical channel.
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. A. Bortsov et al., Laser Optoelectronic Oscillators, Springer Series in Optical
Sciences 232, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45700-6_3
73
Modulation Methods of Laser Emission
in Optoelectronic oscillator (OEO)
and OEO Differential Equations
This chapter is devoted to an analysis of laser emission modulation methods and
formulation of mathematical model of the autonomous optoelectronic oscillator
(OEO) on the base of nonlinear differential equations. Section 3.1 presents two
methods of laser emission modulation: the direct (internal) electrical method and the
external modulation through the electro-optical modulator offered by Mach and
Zehnder. Before beginning of material discussion, in order to explain a consequence
and the logic of description, we briefly describe the structure of mathematical
analysis of the laser optoelectronic oscillator in this chapter and in the following
chapters.
After brief description of two operation principles for internal and external
approaches, we discuss its structural realization (Sect. 3.1.2). The complexity of
both approaches is related to the nonstandard way of description of the nonlinear
method modulation for the internal (direct) structure and the utilization of the
specific Mach–Zehnder modulator for the first stage on external modulation: the
phase modulation in the optical channels of the external MZ modulator, and (at the
second modulation stage) conversion (after fiber optical delay line) of the phasemodulated laser emission into the amplitude-modulated radio-frequency signal in
the nonlinear photodetector.
Methods, which permit to achieve excellent technical RF characteristics of OEO
in microwave and mm-wave ranges, include:
• utilization the specific quantum-well laser diodes (QWLD) with the low phase
noise level;
• active low-noise delay line on the base of the optical fiber;
• heterodyning (spectrum transformation) of the phase noise in the light-sensitive
area of the nonlinear photodetector (Sect. 3.1.3);
• application of the laser emission modulation method with the single sideband
(in the optical region) with suppression of the optical carrier frequency in the
optical channel.
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. A. Bortsov et al., Laser Optoelectronic Oscillators, Springer Series in Optical
Sciences 232, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45700-6_3
73