With a single laser light source, the line width of a beat signal is set
to a few tens of kHz or less without it fluctuating over time, and the
frequency thereof is set as desired. CW light from a CW laser light
source is input into an electroabsorption modulator to which a sine wave
electrical signal is applied. A modulation sideband which is made up from
line spectra at separations equal to the modulation frequency is
generated from the electroabsorption modulator. An optical fiber for
higher-order soliton compression broadens the optical spectrum width, and
increases the number of line spectra. A tunable wavelength filtering
device which is made up from optical fiber gratings and optical
circulators chooses two of the line spectra, which are combined by an
optical coupler with their beat signal being heterodyne wave detected by
a photo-detector.