Multi-Soliton Microcomb Physics for Efficeint Sensing and Precision Measurement
Abstract
Recent advances in high-Q microcavities have enabled femtosecond-time-scale optical soliton generation in tiny chip-based devices. The resulting mode-locked pulses feature very stable repetition rates and provide a miniature optical frequency comb (microcomb) that can potentially be integrated with other photonic and electronic devices. Such integrated microcomb systems would dramatically reduce footprint, weight and power relative to conventional frequency comb systems. They are also inherently vibration and shock resistant thereby offering many advantages in applications of comb technology to airborne sensing, metrology, and navigational systems. The new microcavity soliton systems have taken major first steps in demonstrating system functions such as dual-microcomb spectroscopy. Also, soliton interactions in the microscale cavities can provide important new functions. For example, solitons can create other solitons using non-Kerr nonlinearities in the system. Moreover, multiple solitons can be formed within the microcavity and allowed to coherently interact. These recent results have opened-up new ways to dramatically improve the generation and control of femtosecond pulses with implications for microcomb systems. This multi-year effort will focus on methods of microcavity soliton generation and control. It will also test the results by performing spectroscopy and metrology. First, the control of multiple-solitons as well as other nonlinear waves will be explored and applied in spectroscopy and LIDAR. This will include application of recently demonstrated counter-propagating solitons which provide a way to combine two, high coherence frequency combs in a single device. In a second focus area, new ways to extend the spectral reach of electronic-rate-compatible soliton microcombs will be explored.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 30, 2018
- Source ID
- FA95501810353
Entities
People
- Kerry Vahala
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- California Institute of Technology
- United States Air Force