Simple synchronization technique of a mode-locked laser for Laser-Compton scattering Gamma-ray source

We propose a simple and effective synchronization technique between a reference electrical oscillator and a mode-locked laser for a narrowband picosecond Laser-Compton scattering Gamma-ray source by using a commercial-based 1-chip frequency synthesizer, which is widely used in radio communication. The mode-locked laser has been successfully synchronized in time with a jitter of 180 fs RMS for 10 Hz - 100 kHz bandwidth. A good stability of 640 uHz at 80 MHz repetition rate for 10 hours operation has also been confirmed. We discuss in detail the design and performance of this technique (in terms of timing jitter, stability, and validity)