Optical metrology using optical frequency combs and hollow core fibres

Optical frequency combs have revolutionized optical metrology by relating optical and RF frequency references. Optical fibres enable comparison of optical references, complementing optical frequency combs. However, their impairments such as chromatic dispersion, nonlinearity, and sensitivity of accumulated phase and delay with temperature and moisture may cause significant degradation to the accurate time/frequency signals. Hollow core fibres developed and manufactured in the Optoelectronics Research Centre have these impairments significantly reduced.

The PhD work will be researching opportunities of hollow core fibres for time and frequency transfer as well as using them to replace optical cavities. It will also investigate how evacuating of hollow core fibres may benefit in time and frequency metrology.