title: Frequency-comb-referenced two-wavelength source for absolute distance measurement.
abstract: We propose a new tunable laser source concept for multiple-wavelength interferometry, offering an unprecedented large choice of synthetic wavelengths with a relative uncertainty better than 10(-11) in vacuum. Two lasers are frequency stabilized over a wide range of frequency intervals defined by the frequency comb generated by a mode-locked fiber laser. In addition, we present experimental results demonstrating the generation of a 90 mum synthetic wavelength calibrated with an accuracy better than 0.2 parts in 10(6). With this synthetic wavelength we can resolve one optical wavelength, which opens the way to absolute distance measurement with nanometer accuracy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Systèmes Photoniques, Boulevard Sébastien Brant, BP 10413, 67400 Illkirch, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schuhler
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Salvadé
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lévêque
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dändliker
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holzwarth