title: Balanced detection for interferometry with a noisy source.
abstract: Optical properties of nanostructures depend on size, shape, material, and local environment. These characteristics can be probed interferometrically, given a broadband source. However, broadband supercontinuum sources are intrinsically noisy, limiting the measurement sensitivity. In this article we describe the application of an auto-balancing technique to reduce the noise in a broadband supercontinuum source, thus increasing the signal to noise ratio. We show a noise reduction of 41 dB allowing optical powers as small as 0.01 pW to be interferometrically detected with a 5 ms integration time.
authors: H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom.
authors: E C
authors: EC
authors: Robinson
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Trägårdh
authors: I D
authors: ID
authors: Lindsay
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Gersen