Dynamic Optical Frequency Analyzer - ChirpWise(TM)

Tunable lasers, especially swept-frequency (or swept- wavelength) lasers, are finding their way into many important applications, such as chirped Lidar for autonomous vehicles, optical coherence tomography (OCT) for biomedical applications, optical frequency domain reflectometers (OFDR) for distributed measurement and sensing, and tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS).

Unfortunately, the traditional optical spectrum analyzers (OSA) on the market are not capable of characterizing the dynamic properties of such lasers. The OFA-1000, a novel optical frequency analyzer specifically designed to fill this market void, is able to characterize dynamic spectral properties of tunable lasers, including instantaneous frequency, instantaneous spectral width, chirp or frequency tuning rate, frequency tuning nonlinearity, and optical power vs. frequency or time. Another important application of the instrument is to characterize the spectral properties of ultra long coherence length (or ultra-narrow linewidth) lasers, such as frequency jitter, center frequency statistical distribution, the dynamics of laser mode or frequency hopping, and the jitter induced spectral width of lasers, with a resolution down to tens of Hertz. Such capabilities are unattainable with traditional optical spectrum analyzers, but are invaluable to the scientific study of laser dynamics, as well as for interferometer based sensor systems such as hydrophones and distributed acoustic sensors (DAS). ChirpWise™: a wise instrument and a smart choice for analyzing laser chirp and other frequency dynamics.