Cavity-enhanced single frequency synthesis via DFG of mode-locked pulse trains

We show how to synthesize a CW, single-frequency optical field from the frequency-dispersed, pulsed field of a mode-locked laser. This process, which relies on difference frequency generation in an optical cavity, is efficient and can be considered as an optical rectification. Quantitative estimates for the output power and amplitude noise properties of a realistic system are given. Possible applications to optical frequency synthesis and optical metrology are envisaged.