Stabilizing optical resonators
Techniques and devices that stabilize optical resonators.
Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Ilchenko, Vladimir.
Techniques and devices that stabilize optical resonators.
Whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators configured to support only a single whispering gallery mode.
This application describes use of an opto-electronic feedback in oscillators to suppress phase noise based on the high Q factor of the opto-electronic feedback.
By engineering the geometry of a nonlinear optical crystal, the effective efficiency of all nonlinear optical oscillations can be increased dramatically. Specifically, sphere and disk shaped crystal resonators have been used to demonstrate nonlinear optical oscillations at sub-milliwatt input power when cs light propagates in a Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) of such a resonant cavity. in terms of both device production and experimentation in quantum optics, some nonlinear optical effects with naturally high efficiency can occult the desired nonlinear scattering process. the structure to the crystal resonator. In this paper, I will discuss a new method for generating poling structures in ferroelectric crystal resonators called calligraphic poling. The details of the poling apparatus, experimental results and speculation on future applications will be discussed.
Tunable optical filters using whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonators are described. The WGM optical resonator in a filter exhibits an electro-optical effect and hence is tunable by applying a control electrical signal.
Techniques and devices using whispering gallery mode (WGM) optical resonators, where the optical materials of the WGM resonators exhibit an electro-optical effect to perform optical modulation. Examples of actively mode-locked lasers and other devices are described.
Devices with two or more coupled resonators to produce narrow spectral responses due to interference of signals that transmit through the resonators and techniques for operating such devices to achieve certain operating characteristics are described. The devices may be optical devices where optical resonators such as whispering gallery mode resonators may be used. In one implementation, at least one of the coupled optical resonators is a tunable resonator and is tuned to change its resonance frequency to tune the spectral response of the device. The described devices and techniques may be applied in optical filters, optical delays, optical waveform generators, and other applications.
We report on observation of photorefractive effects in whispering gallery mode resonators made of as-grown and magnesium doped lithium niobate and lithium tantalate in the near as well as far infrared. The effects manifested themselves as dynamic modification of the spectra as well as quality factors of the resonators coupled to the laser radiation. We have observed a significant (exceeding 10-4) change of the ordinary index of refraction of all the materials exposed with 780 nm light. Photorefractive effects have also been detected at 1550 nm. Our experiments support the conclusion that the photorefractivity does not have a distinct red boundary. We show that the maximum saturated refractive index change in the infrared is of the same order of magnitude as in the visible light.
Optical filters having at least two coupled whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonators to produce a second order or higher order filter function with a desired spectral profile. At least one of the coupled WGM optical resonators may be tunable by a control signal to adjust the filtering function.
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) optical resonators comprising nonlinear optical materials, where the nonlinear optical material of a WGM resonator includes a plurality of sectors within the optical resonator and nonlinear coefficients of two adjacent sectors are oppositely poled.
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) optical resonators formed of radiation-sensitive materials to allow for permanent tuning of their resonance frequencies in a controlled manner. Two WGM resonators may be cascaded to form a composite filter to produce a second order filter function where at least one WGM resonator is formed a radiation-sensitive material to allow for proper control in the overlap of the two filter functions.
Whispering gallery mode optical resonators which have spatially-graded refractive indices. In one implementation, the refractive index spatially increases with a distance from an exterior surface of such a resonator towards an interior of the resonator to produce substantially equal spectral separations for different whispering gallery modes. An optical coupler may be used with such a resonator to provide proper optical coupling.
This viewgraph presentation summarizes the hyper-parametric oscillations observations of the fluorite resonator. The reporters have observed various nonlinear effects in ultra-high Q crystalline whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators. In particular, it was demonstrated a low threshold optical hyper-parametric oscillations in a high-Q (Q=1010) CaF2 WGM resonator. The oscillations result from the resonantly enhanced four-wave-mixing occurring due to Kerr nonlinearity of the material.
Devices based on a non-spherical whispering-gallery-mode optical resonator.
Systems and techniques of incorporating an optical resonator in an optical part of a feedback loop in opto-electronic oscillators. This optical resonator provides a sufficiently long energy storage time and hence to produce an oscillation of a narrow linewidth and low phase noise. Certain mode matching conditions are required. For example, the mode spacing of the optical resonator is equal to one mode spacing, or a multiplicity of the mode spacing, of an opto-electronic feedback loop that receives a modulated optical signal and to produce an electrical oscillating signal.
A fiber-coupled laser based on a whispering-gallery-mode resonator formed of a laser gain medium and an angle-polished fiber coupler.
The opto-Electronic Oscillator (OEO) has already demonstrated superior spectral purity as a for microwave and millimeter wave reference signals. Experimental results have produced a performance characterized by noise as low as -50 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz and -140 dBc/Hz for a 10 GHz oscillator. This performance is significant because it was produced by an oscillator that was free running. Since the noise in an OEO is independent of the oscillation frequency, the same performance may also be obtained at higher frequency. The recent work in our laboratory has been focused in three areas: 1) realization of a compact OEO based on semiconductor lasers and modulators, 2) reduction of the close-to-carrier noise of the OEO originating from the 1/f noise of the amplifier, and 3) miniaturization of the OEO. In this paper we report on progress made in these areas, and describe future plans to increase the performance and the efficiency of the OEO.