On-Chip Quadratic Solitons- Enabling Few-Cycle Frequency Combs from Visible to Mid-Infrared
Abstract
Optical frequency comb is an enabling technology for a multitude of applications from metrology to ranging and communications. The tremendous progress in optical frequency combs has mostly been around the near-infrared spectral region while many applications demand visible and mid-infrared combs, which have so far been challenging to achieve, especially in nanophotonics. Moreover, many applications benefit from ultrashort-pulse frequency combs with high peak powers, enabling a wealth of light-matter interactions and functionalities that are currently unavailable in the chip-scale. The proposed basic research focuses on new methods of on-chip frequency comb generation based on quadratic solitons to address the wavelength sparsity of on-chip frequency comb sources as well as their limitations in pulse lengths, peak powers, efficiencies, and fabrication demands. The project leverages the integrated lithium niobate nanophotonic platform to pursue basic research studies on quadratic solitons and ultrafast light-matter interactions on chip. The project aims to theoretically and experimentally study- (i) formation and dynamics of purely quadratic cavity solitons, (ii) formation and evolution of traveling-wave quadratic solitons, (iii) intense amplification towards generation of nanojoule ultrashort pulses on chip, and (iv) wavelength conversion for generation of ultrashort pulse frequency combs in the mid-infrared, visible, and ultraviolet range of the spectrum. This project is expected to enable a new regime of integrated nonlinear photonics and lay the foundation for bringing the wealth of ultrashort pulse light-matter interactions and functionalities that currently belong to meter-scale and kW-level experiments to millimeter and sub-watt scales. The proposed work is expected to open new avenues of research on many applications related to DoD, as well as new functionalities and complexities in the accessible form of integrated photonics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 14, 2024
- Source ID
- FA95502310755
Entities
People
- Alireza Marandi
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- California Institute of Technology
- United States Air Force