Frequency combs make their way to real-world use

Optical frequency combs have been developed for new frontiers in metrology – from improving the precision of radars to searching for Earth-like planets. The development of more compact frequency combs opens the way to a wider range of applications.

An optical frequency comb consists of a light source with equally spaced sharp spectral lines, which can be seen as the teeth of a comb. As the spectral lines' frequencies are known, the comb is used to determine unknown frequencies by measuring beat notes. The latter reveal the difference between the unknown and the comb frequencies.

Further details: Frequency combs make their way to real-world use