Long-Term Stability Enhancement in Multi-Cavity Optoelectronic Oscillators via Multicore Fibers

[EN] We report a novel multi-cavity Vernier optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) approach enabled by dispersion-engineered heterogeneous multicore fibers (MCFs) to achieve broadband tunability, ultra-low phase noise, and high temporal stability. By using the Central Limit Theorem, we theoretically demons...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: García-Cortijo, Sergi|||0000-0002-7237-9457, Gasulla Mestre, Ivana|||0000-0001-8088-7796
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/229237
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/229237
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Chromatic dispersion
Multicore fibers
Optoelectronic oscillators (OEO)
Signal processing
Space-division multiplexing
True-time delay lines
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] We report a novel multi-cavity Vernier optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) approach enabled by dispersion-engineered heterogeneous multicore fibers (MCFs) to achieve broadband tunability, ultra-low phase noise, and high temporal stability. By using the Central Limit Theorem, we theoretically demonstrate that the temporal stability of the oscillation frequency improves as the number of cavities increases, with the frequency drift variance scaling inversely with the number of cavities. This key insight transcends Vernier-specific implementations, offering a universal framework for enhancing stability in multi-cavity OEOs of varying topologies. Experimental validation using a custom-fabricated 7-core MCF demonstrates up to a 75% reduction in the frequency drift standard deviation for a 7-cavity OEO compared to a dual-cavity configuration, alongside an average phase noise level of approximately -120 dBc/Hz at a 10-kHz offset. By exploiting the phase-to-intensity modulation conversion to implement a broadband radiofrequency filtering response, we reach wideband optically tunable oscillation frequency from 10 to 18 GHz enabled by the MCF dispersion characteristics. These results position MCF-based multi-cavity Vernier OEOs as a versatile platform for next-generation radar, communications, and sensing systems demanding high spectral purity, long-term operational stability, and fast wideband reconfigurability.