Absolute length measurement with the frequency comb of a femtosecond laser

Abstract

We report exploiting the frequency comb of a femtosecond laser as a means of realizing the time-based SI definition of the meter for length metrology. Specifically, an external-cavity diode laser is continuously tuned to a stabilized frequency comb, and its output frequency is modulated over an extensive range to measure the absolute value of a given length by means of multi-wavelength optical interferometry. This approach could find applications in establishing practical length standards with a small amount of uncertainty directly traceable to time standards.