Summary
the 2014 International Symposium on Nonlinear Theory and its Applications
2014
Session Number:C3L-E
Session:
Number:C3L-E3
Measuring two-dimensional translations with nanoscale-resolution by using quasiperiodic dynamics in a laser diode
Damien Rontani, Seth D. Cohen, Andres Aragoneses, M. C. Torrent, Cristina Masoller, Daniel J. Gauthier,
pp.633-636
Publication Date:2014/9/14
Online ISSN:2188-5079
Summary:
We describe a novel approach for position sensing using the complex dynamics of a diode laser. Specifically, we show that the quasi-periodic dynamics of the optical field generated by a diode laser emitting in the telecom band (λ~1:55 μm) subjected to a dual coherent optical feedback changes in response to independent nanoscale translation of the mirrors in each feedback path. We obtain sub-wavelength precision of ~λ160 (?9:8 nm) on the distance measurements. Such sensing capabilities rely on mirror translations mapping uniquely and independently mapped to a change in the value of two incommensurate frequencies present in the quasi-periodic radiofrequency spectrum of the light emitted by the laser diode. This approach opens new avenues towards realizing an alloptical, nanoscale-resolved two-dimensional position sensor.