Dispersion, coherence and noise of Fourier Domain Mode Locked (FDML) lasers

We present a detailed analysis of coherence and noise of the FDML laser, depending on filter drive frequency, detuning and amount of cavity dispersion. The results provide insight into phase and amplitude noise of the laser light itself. We address the following two questions: (1) How much dispersion compensation is necessary for optimum laser performance in FDML for a certain width of the optical band pass filter? (2) How are timing mismatch effects, caused by either detuning of the drive frequency or chromatic dispersion in the cavity of the filter, related to coherence length and noise?