A mode-locked laser serves as a light source for stabilizing the frequency
of each optical carrier and generates high-quality optical multi-carrier.
The mode-locked laser is equipped with a master laser for generating
master laser light; a mode-locked laser section including in an optical
resonator at least a modulating section, am amplifying section, and a
bandwidth limiting section for reducing mode partition noise; and a
signal generating section for generating a periodic signal that serves
for mode locking of the mode-locked laser section and is to be applied to
the modulating section. The master laser light is input to the optical
resonator of the mode-locked laser section to cause injection locking. An
optical multi-carrier source is constructed by combining this mode-locked
laser with a waveguided optical nonlinear medium.