Phase-coherent frequency comparison of optical clocks using a telecommunication fiber link

We have explored the performance of two ldquodark fibersrdquo of a commercial telecommunication fiber link for a remote comparison of optical clocks. These fibers establish a network in Germany that will eventually link optical frequency standards at PTB with those at the Institute of Quantum Optics (IQ) at the Leibniz University of Hanover, and the Max Planck Institutes in Erlangen (MPL) and Garching (MPQ). We demonstrate for the first time that within several minutes a phase coherent comparison of clock lasers at the few 10^-15 level can also be accomplished when the lasers are more than 100 km apart. Based on the performance of the fiber link to the IQ we estimate the expected stability for the link from PTB to MPQ via MPL that bridges a distance of approximately 900 km.