ELSTAB-Fiber-Optic Time and Frequency Distribution Technology: A General Characterization and Fundamental Limits

Systematic Frequency Error in Laser Synchronization Circuits for Fiber-Optic Time Transfer Systems

The paper addresses the problem of a systematic frequency error occurring in semiconductor-laser frequency-synchronization circuits based on counting the beat note between the two lasers in a reference time interval using a high-frequency prescaler. Such synchronization circuits are suitable for operation in ultra-precise fiber-optic time-transfer links, used e.g. in time/frequency metrology. The error occurs when the power of the light coming from the reference laser, to which the second laser is synchronized, is below about -50 dBm to -40 dBm, depending on the details of particular circuit implementation. The error can reach tens of MHz if left out of consideration and does not depend on the frequency difference between the synchronized lasers. Its sign can be positive or negative, depending on the spectrum of the noise at the prescaler input and the frequency of the measured signal. In the paper we present the background of the systematic frequency error, discuss important parameters allowing for predicting the error value, and describe the simulation and theoretical models being helpful for designing and understanding operation of discussed circuits. The theoretical models presented here show good agreement with the experimental data, which demonstrates the usefulness of proposed methods. Implementing polarization scrambling to mitigate the effect of polarization misalignment of the lights of the lasers used was considered and the resulting penalty was determined.

Cosmic time synchronizer (CTS) for wireless and precise time synchronization using extended air showers

Precise time synchronization is an essential technique required for financial transaction systems, industrial automation and control systems, as well as land and ocean observation networks. However, the time synchronization signals based on the global-positioning-system (GPS), or global-navigation-satellite-system, are sometimes unavailable or only partially available in indoor, underground and underwater environments. In this work, the simultaneous and penetrative natures of the muon component of the extended air shower (EAS) were used as signals for time synchronization in environments with little or no GPS coverage. CTS was modeled by combining the results of previous EAS experiments with OCXO holdover precision measurements. The results have shown the capability of CTS to reach perpetual local time synchronization levels of less than 100 ns with a hypothetical detector areal coverage of larger than 2 × 10⁻⁴. We anticipate this level of areal coverage is attainable and cost-effective for use in consumer smartphone networks and dense underwater sensor networks.

Study of an Optical Fiber Time Transmission Method with Real-Time Average Temperature Measurement of Links

The temperature of optical fiber links is an important factor affecting the accuracy of optical fiber time transmission. However, the real-time temperature measurement of optical fiber links in field networks is difficult and contains many errors. In this paper, a new method for the real-time average temperature measurement of optical fiber links is proposed. By accurately measuring the round-trip time delay of the optical fiber link and filtering out the delay jitter and system noise through the Kalman filter, the real-time average temperature of optical fiber links can be accurately calculated. The experimental results in the temperature control box show that the temperature measurement accuracy of this method is about 0.015 °C. Under the condition of a significant temperature change, the time synchronization accuracy of the round-trip system can reach the sub-nanosecond level and the time stability is less than 35 ps/s and 8 ps/104 s.

A 500-km Cascaded White Rabbit Link for High-Performance Frequency Dissemination

We perform experiments exploring the use of white rabbit precision time protocol (WR-PTP) for time and frequency dissemination over long-distance optical fiber links. We use unidirectional links, to ensure compatibility with active telecommunication networks, and White Rabbit equipment with modifications for improved performance. Using fiber spools, we realize a 500 km, four-span cascaded white rabbit link. We show short term fractional frequency stability of 2×10^-12 , averaging down to 2×10^-15 at one day of integration time, with no frequency shift within the statistical uncertainty. We demonstrate the impact of increasing the White Rabbit SoftPLL bandwidth and the PTP message rate. We show evidence of the effect of thermal fluctuations acting on the fiber, and finally discuss the limitations of the achieved performance. We show comparisons with experimental data acquired with commercial good quality global positioning system (GPS) receivers and show that the medium- and long- term stability and accuracy are more than one order of magnitude better with a WR-PTP link.

Optical fiber time transmission technology based on a double-fiber round-trip method

In this paper, an optical fiber time transmission technology based on a double-fiber round-trip method is provided. In the system, the one-way transmission delay from the master station to the slave station can be calculated directly through the measurement of three time interval counters and their ratio relationship. The method eliminates the influence of fiber length expansion and round-trip transmission delay fluctuation, which is caused by ambient temperature change. The master and slave stations are connected by 100 km and 80 km optical fibers, respectively, and the temperature of the optical fiber link varies from -20^∘C to 40°C. Compared with the single-fiber round-trip method, the time interval error of a double-fiber round-trip method is reduced from 1.4 ns to 80 ps when the wavelength is 1310-1550 nm, and from 320 to 80 ps when the wavelength is 1490-1550 nm.

High-Precision Time-Frequency Signal Simultaneous Transfer System via a WDM-Based Fiber Link

In this paper, we demonstrate a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)-based system for simultaneously delivering ultra-stable optical frequency reference, 10 GHz microwave frequency reference, and a one pulse per second (1 PPS) time signal via a 50 km fiber network. For each signal, a unique noise cancellation technique is used to maintain their precision. After being compensated, the transfer frequency instability in terms of the overlapping Allan deviation (OADEV) for the optical frequency achieves 2 × 10−17/s and scales down to 2 × 10−20/10,000 s, which for the 10 GHz microwave reference, approaches 4 × 10−15/s and decreases to 1.4 × 10−17/10,000 s, and the time uncertainty of the 1 PPS time signal along the system is 2.08 ps. In this scheme, specific channels of WDM are, respectively, occupied for different signals to avoid the possible crosstalk interference effect between the transmitted reference signals. To estimate the performance of the above scheme, which is also demonstrated in this 50 km link independent of these signals, the results are similar to that in the case of simultaneous delivery. This work shows that the WDM-based system is a promising method for building a nationwide time and frequency fiber transfer system with a communication optical network.

Optical Multiplexing of Metrological Time and Frequency Signals in a Single 100-GHz-Grid Optical Channel

In this article, the concept of co-locating all metrological time and frequency signals in a single optical channel of a standard, 100-GHz-spaced optical grid is presented and evaluated. The solution is intended for situations where only a narrow optical bandwidth is available in a fiber heavily loaded with standard data traffic. We localized the optical reference signals in the middle of the channel, with signals related to RF reference and time tags shifted ±12.5 GHz apart. In the experimental evaluation with a 260-km-long fiber, we demonstrate that the stability of frequency signals and the calibration of time tags remained at the very same level of stability and accuracy as for systems utilizing separate channels: the fractional long-term instability for the optical frequency reference was below 5 ×10^-20 , that for the RF reference at the level of 10^-17, and the mismatch of the time tag calibration was not more than 10 ps. We also identify possible issues, mainly related to a risk of unwanted Brillouin amplification and scattering.

Fiber-optic time-frequency transfer in gigabit ethernet networks over urban fiber links

We demonstrate a new optical pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) scheme where joint ultrastable time-frequency and gigabit ethernet data transfer with the same laser wavelength is realized. Time transmission is compatible with the White Rabbit (WR) based on gigabit ethernet networks, and frequency transmission is achieved by using 100MHz radio frequency (RF) modulation and the round-trip compensation methods. The laser is on-off keying (OOK) modulated by the WR signal, the RF and WR signal are modulated by optical PAM in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer modulator (MZM), and the local and remote site are connected by 96km urban fiber in Shanghai. The experimental results demonstrate that the frequency instabilities are 5.7E-14/1 s and 5.9E-17/10⁴s, and the time interval transfer of 1 pulse per second (PPS) signal with less than 300fs stability after 10⁴ s are obtained. This novel scheme can transmit frequency signals at hydrogen-maser-level stability in the gigabit ethernet network.

Electrical Regeneration for Long-Haul Fiber-Optic Time and Frequency Distribution Systems

In recent years fiber-optic-based long-haul installations for time and frequency (T&F) distribution have become operational at various sites. The common practice to cope with large attenuation of long fiber path is to use bidirectional optical amplifiers. This, however, becomes insufficient in case of very long links and/or long spans between amplifiers, because of unavoidable deterioration of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In this article, we present a solution where the optical signal amplification is combined with optical-electrical-optical (OEO) regeneration, performed in a few points along the link. We analyze the impact of replacing some optical amplifiers with OEOs and demonstrate the resulting improvement in terms of SNR of the received optical signal and the phase noise at the output of the T&F distribution system. Laboratory experiments performed with both spooled and metropolitan-area fibers (total length up to 900 km) confirmed the theoretical predictions and showed that placing the OEO regenerators in appropriate points along the link allows reaching the required SNR.

Frequency stability characterization: DFB laser and Raman pump performance on a distributed clock signal over 24.69 km fiber

Distribution of timing and frequency signals in a fast-changing world requires unprecedented levels of stability for characterization. Transfer of frequency references over long distance without introducing any additional instability is of urgent concern for optical clock development. Choice of optical transmitter is critical to achieving accurate and stable RF clocks for end users. In this paper, we report the stability performance of the distributed feedback (DFB) laser and the Raman pump for transmitted clock signals. The DFB laser and the Raman pump were modulated with 2, 4, and 6 GHz RF clock signals from a signal generator and transmitted over 24.69 km SMF-Reach fiber. At 10 kHz offset frequency, we measured lowest phase noise of -121.22dBc/Hz and highest spectra power of -5.38dBm at 2 GHz for the DFB laser. Transfer stabilities of 1.366×10^-12 and 1.626×10^-12 for 2 and 4 GHz, respectively, at 1000 s averaging time were achieved. This technique does not require additional amplifiers for long-distance frequency distribution, making it simple and economical, and hence satisfying the requirements for next-generation optical fiber networks.

Stability Limitations of Optical Frequency Transfer in Telecommunication DWDM Networks

This article investigates the fundamental limitations of optical frequency transfer stability related to cost-effective implementation of signal transmission in duplex, unidirectional optical paths offered by a standard dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) network. We pointed out the effect of a significant mismatch of phase fluctuations observed in pairs of fibers even when located in a common cable. We also measured the thermal sensitivities of individual DWDM optical modules in the context of the effectiveness of the signal stabilization system. Finally, we present the real implementation of the coherent optical carrier transfer in the operational DWDM network, showing the overall impact of all individual effects. We demonstrated that it is possible to obtain the long-term stability (one day averaging) within the range from 2 ×10^-16 to 4 ×10^-16 and typical frequency offset at the level of few times 10^-16 in a 1500-km-long line by using the soil-deployed cables.

Compensation of the Fluctuations of Differential Delay for Frequency Transfer in DWDM Networks

This paper investigates the possibility of improving the stability of radio-frequency transfer in telecommunication dense wavelength division multiplexing fiber-optic networks. As it has been identified, the dispersion compensation fibers (DCFs), frequently used in these networks, cause substantial differential delay, whose temperature-induced fluctuations have the most significant impact on the deterioration of the stability of the frequency transfer. The authors present a method that allows achieving significant improvement in the long-term stability of the frequency transfer. The developed method is based on modeling the impact of DCFs with the help of remotely accessible temperature sensors factory installed by the manufactures in DCF modules. The effectiveness of the proposed solution has been tested on three different long-haul routes (up to 1550 km), set up in the operational Polish National Research and Education Network.

Modeling and Optimization of Bidirectional Fiber-Optic Links for Time and Frequency Transfer

In this paper, a bidirectional fiber-optic link is considered, composed of two end terminals, connected by a number of fiber spans and bidirectional optical amplifiers. The end terminals exchange time and frequency information by sending and receiving intensity modulated optical signals in both directions, which is required to compensate the fluctuation of the propagation delay of the transmission medium. In such a link for its optimal performance, the gains of the bidirectional optical amplifiers need to be adjusted to minimize the noise resulting from Rayleigh backscattering and amplified spontaneous emission. A model of the link is proposed using a transmission matrixes approach, which allows estimating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the ends of the main link (i.e., connecting the end terminals) and at the extraction (tapping) nodes located along the main link. The transmission matrixes of a fiber span and Er-doped fiber amplifier are presented and required formulas are derived. In addition, wavelength selective isolators are considered, which allow intentional breaking of the propagation of backscattered signals and are effective in improving the SNR when long fiber spans are involved. The model is experimentally verified in a laboratory link composed of four bidirectional amplifiers and five fiber spans of total length up to 420 km, showing the agreement between the measured and calculated SNRs not worse than 2 dB.

Fiber-Optic UTC(k) Timescale Distribution With Automated Link Delay Cancelation

In this paper, we describe the idea and practical realization of an automated calibrator of fiber-optic UTC(k) distribution system, along with a high-resolution shifter of 1 PPS signal, which allows us to cancel the propagation delay and, thus, to produce the 1 PPS at the remote system output with practically zero offset. The solution was experimentally verified with 10 different optical paths, up to 300 km long. The rms offset of the output timescale in our experiments was 7.1 ps, and maximum absolute value did not exceed 15 ps.

Long Haul Time and Frequency Distribution in Different DWDM Systems

In this paper, we have presented the possibility of time and frequency (T&F) distribution in two generations of dense wavelength-division-multiplexing (DWDM) networks: the older one, equipped with dispersion compensation fiber (DCF) modules, and the newest, without in-line chromatic dispersion compensation (dedicated for coherent signals). The experiments were performed in a 1500-km loop arranged in the PIONIER production network, with T&F signals regarded as so-called "alien wavelength" network service. In the newest DWDM version, we observed very good stability of delivered signals: modified Allan deviation approach 10^-16 for averaging longer than 10⁴ s (for 10-MHz frequency signal), and time deviation below 15 ps for averaging up to 10⁵ s for 1 PPS time signal. These results show that the DWDM alien wavelength service can be used for high-demanding applications like cesium fountains comparisons. Results achieved for the former version of DWDM were about one magnitude worse for a long-term comparison, but it can still be useful for less demanding applications. We found that the main reason for relatively poor results observed in the older generation of DWDM is the impact of the DCFs used in this DWDM approach.

A Hybrid Solution for Simultaneous Transfer of Ultrastable Optical Frequency, RF Frequency, and UTC Time-Tags Over Optical Fiber

We describe a fiber-optic solution for simultaneous distribution of all signals generated at today's most advanced time and frequency laboratories, i.e., an ultrastable optical reference frequency derived from an optical atomic clock, a radio frequency precisely linked to a realization of the SI-Second, and a realization of an atomic timescale, being the local representation of the virtual, global UTC timescale. In our solution both the phase of the optical carrier and the delay of electrical signals (10-MHz frequency reference and one-pulse-per-second time tags) are stabilized against environmental perturbations influencing the fiber link instability and accuracy. We experimentally demonstrate optical transfer stabilities of and for 100 s averaging period, for optical carrier and 10-MHz signals, respectively.