We numerically study the chaotic synchronization of microresonator frequency combs. The chaotic state of microresonators could be a key factor in optical communications because the modulation instability state (chaotic) has a larger output than the soliton state (stable), which may enable us to realize a higher signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, it will allow secure communication. We show that two microresonator frequency combs in a leader-follower configuration can be synchronized in chaotic regimes. Interestingly, the follower comb synchronizes even when some longitudinal modes of the leader comb are absent. We also show that the Turing pattern comb in the follower ring becomes chaotic and synchronizes when we inject the leader’s modulation instability comb.
We demonstrate the all-precision-machining fabrication of ultrahigh-quality-factor (Q) crystalline optical microresonators. The obtained Q exceeds 100 million for both magnesium fluoride (MgF2) and calcium fluoride (CaF2) materials. This constitutes the highest Q factor obtained for whispering gallery mode crystalline microresonators fabricated solely by ultra-precision machining. We also achieve octave-wide optical parametric oscillation using an MgF2 resonator fabricated with a computer-controlled machining process. This method readily enables advanced dispersion engineering for optical parametric oscillation and makes it possible to explore microcavity nonlinear optics and quantum optics without the need for skilled manual polishing techniques.
We report on our experimental and numerical demonstration of tunable four-wave mixing (FWM) in dispersion engineered microresonators. In this paper, we focus on the engineering of higher-order dispersion, which enables the generation of tunable parametric oscillation far from the pump light. It allows us to obtain a localized comb structure, which is known as a clustered frequency comb. The numerical simulation agrees well with the experimental demonstrations, which confirms that the top-down dispersion engineering of a microresonator allows us to obtain phase-matched parametric oscillation deterministically.
Kerr comb generation in a coupled mode system is of interest, because it supports dual-comb generation and can initialize modulation instability gain even in a normal dispersion cavity. This talk will describe how linear and nonlinear mode coupling affect Kerr comb generation. In particular, we model and study soliton trapping in a coupled mode system, and also discuss in detail how the coupling strength affects the generation of a Kerr comb in a normal dispersion system.
The combination of a high-Q optical microcavity and a saturable absorber is expected to enable mode locking between different transverse modes in a microcavity. This work studies saturable absorption in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on microtoroids. The CNTs are selectively grown on silica microtoroids by chemical vapor deposition after the cobalt catalysis is selectively deposited on the surface. A Raman spectrum measurement showed that the grown CNTs are about 1.0 nm in diameter, and that the device is applicable for use in the 1550 nm band. The saturable absorption by CNTs is investigated with a counter-propagating pump-probe experiment.
Recent progress on the fabrication techniques used in silicon photonics foundries has enabled us to fabricate photonic crystal (PhC) nanocavities using a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible process. A high Q two-dimensional PhC nanocavity and a one-dimensional nanobeam PhC cavity with a Q exceeding 100 thousand have been fabricated using ArF excimer laser immersion lithography. These are important steps toward the fusion of silicon photonics devices and PhC devices. Although the fabrication must be reproducible for industrial applications, the properties of PhC nanocavities are sensitively affected by the proximity effect and randomness. In this study, we quantitatively investigated the influence of the proximity effect and randomness on a silicon nanobeam PhC cavity. First, we discussed the optical properties of cavities defined with one- and two-step exposure methods, which revealed the necessity of a multi-stage exposure process for our structure. Then, we investigated the impact of block structures placed next to the cavities. The presence of the blocks modified the resonant wavelength of the cavities by about 10 nm. The highest Q we obtained was over 100 thousand. We also discussed the influence of photomask misalignment, which is also a possible cause of disorders in the photolithographic fabrication process. This study will provide useful information for fabricating integrated photonic circuits with PhC nanocavities using a photolithographic process.
We investigated the effect of Raman scattering in multimode whispering gallery mode (WGM) microcavities. First, we discuss the competition between the effects of four-wave mixing (FWM) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). Thanks to the different gain bandwidths of FWM and SRS, we can switch between the FWM and SRS dominant states by changing the pump power or by changing the coupling quality factor (Q). Next, we investigated the transverse mode interaction that occurs during SRS comb formation. We found that transverse mode coupling occurred when we pumped in a low-Q mode but a comb with a single-mode family was generated when we pumped in a high-Q mode. This finding will allow us to obtain or suppress a dual comb in a single WGM microcavity. Finally, we demonstrated broad bandwidth visible light generation by third harmonic generation (THG) following the generation of a broadband SRS comb. The generation and good understanding of the SRS comb will offer us various possibilities such as dual comb generation and broad bandwidth visible light generation.
We present a numerical and experimental study of the generation of harmonic mode locking in a silica toroid microcavity. We use a generalized mean-field Lugiato-Lefever equation and solve it with the split-step Fourier method. We found that a stable harmonic mode-locking regime can be accessed when we reduce the input power after strong pumping even if we do not carefully adjust the wavelength detuning. This is due to the bistable nature of the nonlinear cavity system. The experiment agrees well with the numerical analysis, where we obtain a low-noise Kerr comb spectrum with a narrow longitudinal mode spacing by gradually reducing the input pump power after strong pumping. This finding clarifies the procedure for generating harmonic mode locking in such high-Q microcavity systems.
An ultra-high Q whispering gallery mode (WGM) cavity is attractive because the light-matter interaction is enhanced inside it. In terms of science and engineering, an interesting use of a WGM cavity is as a coupled system. When two cavity modes are strongly coupled, they are split in the frequency domain and photons are transferred cyclically between the two modes in the time domain. Recently, the time-domain observation and control of the coupling states were reported with photonic crystal nanocavities, and this technology is essential for developing a quantum node and a quantum network. However, such experiments have not yet been achieved with ultra-high Q modes despite the potential benefit to be gained from the use of ultra-high Q cavities. In this study, we observed strong coupling between ultra-high Q modes in the time domain for the first time. We employed two counter-propagating modes that coupled with each other via surface scattering in a silica toroid microcavity. We employed two tapered fibers (add-drop configuration), one for excitation and the other for observing the energy oscillation between two cavities, which is a necessary technique for directly observing energy in a cavity. The results revealed clear oscillatory behavior, which was induced by the strong coupling. In addition, the oscillation period in the time domain precisely matched that inferred from the mode splitting in the frequency domain, and the measured results showed excellent agreement with those calculated with the developed numerical model.
High Q optical cavities are employed to realize a coupled cavity system with which to achieve optical signal processing. Photonic crystal (PhC) nanocavities are particularly attractive because they are suitable for integration. However, they usually suffer from low coupling efficiency with optical fiber and poor resonant wavelength controllability. We recently demonstrated cavity mode formation by placing a tapered nanofiber close to a two-dimensional photonic crystal waveguide. The cavity mode couples directly with the nanofiber, which results in a coupling efficiency of 39% with a high Q of over half a million. The cavity is formed due to the modulation of the effective refractive index, which is caused by bringing a nanofiber close to the silicon slab. Precise tuning of the resonant wavelength becomes possible by changing the contact area of the nanofiber. In this study, we demonstrate the coupling and de-coupling of coupled PhC nanocavities formed by a nanofiber placed on a PhC waveguide. The wavelength shift of one of the cavities (mode A) is more sensitive than that of the other cavity (mode B) to a change in the nanofiber contact area. By using this difference, we can tune the resonant wavelength of mode A (Q = 4.6×105) to that of mode B (Q = 6.0×105). Then, a clear anti-crossing with a mode splitting of g/2π = 0.94 GHz is observed, which is the result of the coupling of the two modes. A reconfigurable coupled cavity system was demonstrated.
We review our recent progress on all-optical switching and bistability using ultrahigh-Q photonic crystal nanocavities.
We also discuss all-optical logic gate operations. Because photonic crystal nanocavities can strongly confine photons in
a small area for a long time, light can efficiently interact with dipoles. As a result, optical nonlinearities occur at a very
low input. Optical nonlinearities are essential as regards all-optical switching and bistability, because they dynamically
change such material properties as refractive index. We demonstrate all-optical switching at an operating energy of less
than 100 fJ, and bistable operation at less than ~100 μW. In addition, these devices are small and so can operate at a
reasonably high speed (~100 ps).
We demonstrate efficient nonlinear functions using silicon nanophotonic structures. In the ultrasmall core of the
waveguides and cavities, nonlinear phenomena are significantly enhanced. Applying the two-photon absorption effect,
we have confirmed all optical modulation, in which the modulation speed is improved to around 50 ps by eliminating
free carriers. Applying the four-wave-mixing effect, we have achieved high-efficiency wavelength conversion. The
conversion efficiency is -11 dB, and the efficiency will be further improved by eliminating free carriers. Using the four-wave-
mixing effect, we have also realized a low-noise entangled photon pair source. The source does not need a
refrigeration system for noise reduction, which is a great advantage for practical application.
We investigate waveguide resonators, and a coupled system based on two-dimensional silicon-on-insulator photonic crystal (PhC) slabs. First, we show a way of designing PhC waveguides and PhC resonators to overcome the radiation loss that occurs in the thickness direction in a two-dimensional system and how to couple a PhC waveguide to an optical fiber. Next, we effectively couple PhC waveguides to PhC resonators, devise a three-port-resonant-tunneling filter, and develop an ultrasmall multi-port channel-drop filter. Finally, we describe a two-beam optical switch operating with very low power that employs a PhC coupled resonator-waveguide system.
Micro- and nanostructuring are very important for the fabrication of new materials and multifunctional devices. Existing photo-lithographic technologies can only be applied to a limited number of materials and used on plane surfaces. Whereas, microstructuring with femtosecond laser pulses has established itself as an excellent and universal tool for micro-processing, it is still unclear what are the limits of this technology. It is of great interest to use this technique also for nanostructuring. With tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses one can produce sub-micrometer holes and structures whose quality depends on the material. We present new results on nanostructuring of different materials with femtosecond laser pulses in an attempt to make this an universal technology, and discuss its reproducibility, and further prospects for quality control.
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