Trade-off between Linewidth and Slip Rate in a Mode-Locked Laser Model

Abstract

We demonstrate a trade-off between linewidth and loss-of-lock frequency in a mode-locked laser employing active feedback to control the carrier-envelope offset phase difference. In frequency metrology applications, the linewidth translates directly to uncertainty in the measured frequency, while the impact of lock loss and recovery on the measured frequency is less well understood. We reduce the dynamics to stochastic differential equations, specifically diffusion processes, and compare the linearized linewidth to the rate of lock loss determined by the mean time to exit calculated from large deviation theory.