A Tunable Optoelectronic Oscillator with Phase-to-Amplitude Modulation Transformation via an Acetylene Reference Cell

Operation modes of the optoelectronic oscillator (OEO), based on a phase electrooptic modulator with an acetylene reference cell as a photonic filter, have been investigated. For the wideband phase-to-amplitude demodulation that was observed when the laser wavelength was tuned to one side of the acetylene absorption line, an additional tunable electronic yttrium iron garnet (YIG) filter was introduced to observe single-mode OEO generation. This configuration generated a stable monochromatic signal in the 4-12 GHz frequency range, with phase noise of -122 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset from the carrier frequency. In the narrowband demodulation mode (when one optical modulation sideband was tuned to the acetylene absorption line), the quasi-single-mode oscillation could be observed without additional electronic filtering. In this case, the generation frequency was controlled optically by tuning the laser wavelength.