High Speed Mid-Infrared Dual Comb Spectroscopy with a Single Optical Parametric Oscillator

Optical frequency combs have been shown to be a powerful tool for multiplexed detection of chemical species in a wide range of wavelength regions. The use of a pair of frequency combs in a multiheterodyne (dual comb) configuration allows for spectra to be recorded in a single shot with only a single detector [1]. Here we present a new approach for dual comb spectroscopy in the mid-infrared spectral region in which a pair of nearinfrared electro-optic-modulator (EOM) combs are simultaneously downconverted into the mid-infrared within a single optical parametric oscillator [2]. This approach allows for the facile generation of a pair of high power, highly coherent frequency combs in the mid-infrared spectral region without the need for phase locking.