Government of the United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Commerce

University of Colorado

University of California

California Institute of Technology

The United States of America

Fathom Radiant, Pbc

Scott Brian Papp

Scott A Diddams

John E Bowers

Kerry J Vahala

Wei Zhang

Kartik A Srinivasan

Liron Stern

Alexander Jacob Lind

Katja Beha

Henry Timmers

David Richard Carlson

Daniel Cole

Daniel Durand Hickstein

Pascal Del'Haye

Jizhao Zang

Abijith J Kowligy

Su-Peng Yu

A monolithic photonic resonator includes a bulk optic with first and second superpolished facets, and a high-reflectivity coating applied to each of the first and second superpolished facets. The superpolished facets form an optical resonator. The bulk optic is a single piece of an optical material that is solid, i.e., has no internal holes, gaps, or pockets. The bulk optic therefore serves as an intraresonator optical medium while still supporting a finesse of 10,000 or more. The superpolished facets may be counterfacing to form a Fabry-Perot cavity. Alternatively, the bulk optic may include forms one or more additional facets off of which light inside the bulk optic undergoes total internal reflection. The monolithic photonic resonator may be mounted in a support structure that minimizes the overall vibration sensitivity of the resonator's resonance frequency.

Monolithic photonic resonator and associated laser frequency stabilization method

A photonic-crystal resonator (PhCR) and associated methods of design and manufacture. The PhCR includes spontaneous optical-pulse generation and includes a ring whose geometry is correlated to a mode structure or dispersion of the PhCR while also taking into account a desired type of nonlinear optical output from the PhCR, such as an optical frequency comb, or a particular type of pulse. The PhCR includes a periodic nanopatterning on an inner radial wall of its ring and is able to spontaneously generate a nonlinear optical output. The nanopatterning of the inner radial wall is designed to form a desired output, such as one of a classic soliton pulse that has a sech type temporal profile, or a gaussian profile, or a sink pulse profile.

Photonic-crystal resonators for spontaneous optical-pulse generation

A millimeter-wave frequency synthesizer generates a millimeter wave by photomixing two Kerr-soliton microcombs. A single-frequency laser beam is modulated to create first and second pump components having first and second pump frequencies. The first pump component excites a first microresonator to create a first microcomb while the second pump component excites a second microresonator to generate a second microcomb. A pair of comb lines from the two microcombs is detected to generate a low-frequency beat note that is phase-locked by identically tuning the pump frequencies. Another pair of comb lines is detected with a high-speed photodiode to generate the millimeter wave. The frequency of the millimeter wave is based on (i) the difference between the pump frequencies, (ii) the difference between the repetition rates, and (iii) the index of the comb lines that are photomixed to generate the millimeter wave.

Millimeter-wave frequency synthesizer based on microcomb photomixing, and associated methods

Apparatus and methods for generating mid-IR frequency combs using intra-pulse DFG. A mode-locked pulse generation laser generates near-IR pulses which are amplified. The amplified pulses are spectrally broadened by a nonlinear element, for example a normal dispersion highly nonlinear fiber (ND-HNLF) to generate broadened pulses. The nonlinear spectral broadening element is a transparent dielectric material having a cubic nonlinear response. Broadened pulses are temporally compressed to generate short, high-power pulses which few-cycle conditioned pulses which are ready for the intrapulse DFG process. The DFG block generates a mid-IR comb by difference frequency generation. It might comprise an orientation patterned GaP (OP-GaP) crystal or a poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal.

Methods and apparatus for generating mid-infrared frequency combs

An ultrafast electro-optic laser makes a stabilized comb and includes: a comb generator that produces a frequency comb; a dielectric resonant oscillator; a phase modulator in communication with the dielectric resonant oscillator; an intensity modulator in communication with the phase modulator; an optical tailor in communication with the comb generator and that produces tailored light; a filter cavity in communication with the intensity modulator; a pulse shaper in communication with the filter cavity; a highly nonlinear fiber and compressor in communication with the pulse shaper; an interferometer in communication with the optical tailor and that produces a difference frequency from the tailored light; and an electrical stabilizer in communication with the interferometer and the comb generator and that produces the stabilization signal with a stabilized local oscillator cavity that produces a stabilized local oscillator signal that is converted into the stabilization signal and communicated to the dielectric resonant oscillator.

Ultrafast electro-optic laser

A dual-comb optical-frequency comb generator includes a tunable comb-generating laser, a coarse-comb generator, a fine-comb generator, a second harmonic generator, a coarse-comb offset photodetector, a dual-comb offset photodetector, and a fine-comb photodetector. The coarse comb is self-referencing and coupled to the fine comb so as to enable absolute determination of the frequencies of the fine comb.

Optical frequency measurement and control using dual optical-frequency combs

An electronic light synthesizer electronically synthesizes supercontinuum light and includes: a microwave modulator that: receives a continuous wave light including an optical frequency; modulates the continuous wave light at a microwave repetition frequency; and produces a frequency comb modulated at the microwave repetition frequency; a self-phase modulator that: receives the frequency comb; spectrally broadens an optical wavelength range of the frequency comb; and produces broadened light modulated at the microwave repetition frequency; an optical filter that: receives the broadened light from the self-phase modulator; and optically filters electronic noise in the broadened light; and a supercontinuum generator that: receives the broadened light from the optical filter; spectrally broadens the optical wavelength range of the broadened light; and produces supercontinuum light modulated at the microwave repetition frequency.

Electronic light synthesizer and process for electronically synthesizing light

An apparatus and technique are used to fabricate optical microresonators. A fabrication chamber contains all fabrication materials and devices. The microresonators are fabricated from a glass preform mounted on a motorized spindle. A laser is focused onto the preform to partly or fully impinge on the preform. The laser's focus position is controlled by changing the positioning of a lens mounted on a translation stage. Piezoelectric control elements may be mounted to finished microresonators to control of nonlinear parametric oscillation and four-wave mixing effects of the microresonator, control of nonlinear optical stimulated Brillouin scattering and Raman effects of said microresonator and wideband tuning of the frequency spacing between the output modes of a nonlinear-Kerr-effect optical frequency comb generated with said microresonator.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Scott Brian Papp