Photonics
The NRAO CDL photonics technology development program began during the ALMA development phase (see ALMA Support-Photonic Reference). Microwave photonics technologies provided wide tuning bandwidths, which together with flexible fiber optic distribution, allowed for remotely located, low-phase-noise photonic local oscillators sourced needed for ALMA.
CDL Photonics Capabilities
- Low-noise laser and fiber amplifier design, test, and measurement
- Fiber optic interferometry
- Photonics packaging for low phase drift
- Fiber optics splicing
- Optoelectronic module design, fabrication, and test
CDL Photonics Development Areas
- Local oscillator generation and distribution
- Millimeter-wave and THz source development
- Ultra-Wideband instrumentation
- photonic source with wideband feed/photomixer
- Novel microwave photonics
- optical combs, optoelectronic oscillators, novel fiber amplifiers
