A Tunable Laser in 1550 NM Band for Characterization of Whispering-Gallery Technologies
Abstract
We plan to acquire a continuously tunable laser in the 1500 nm band from TOPTICA, a broadband laser with fine tuning resolution around several kHz, which will be a critical equipment for us to characterize our ultra-high-quality (Q) photonic resonators designed and tailored for different applications. The tunable TOPTICA laser offers the following features that will be beneficial for our projects. First, the resolution of the fine tuning of the frequency around kHz is critical to measure and characterize the resonance of a high-Q optical resonator (Q>10^8) with a linewidth narrower than 1MHz. Second, the broad spectral range (~100nm) is very helpful to characterize spectral features of small resonators with free spectral ranges larger than 30 nm. Third, the high output power (>40mW at max) is sufficient to observe optomechanical effects in high-Q toroid and disk resonators. Fourth, optical components including couplers, wavelength-division multiplexers, circulators and optical fibers for 1500 nm band are not only readily available but also much cheaper than those in other spectral windows, which will help cut the overall cost for the projects and allow us to demonstrate the scientific concepts of novel technologies in our resonators with limited budget. The tunable laser in 1500 nm band will immensely help us achieve the goals of our ARO funded research projects and allow us to explore new research capabilities. It can be a light source providing signal light in our optical sensing experiments or serving as a pump to generate optical gain or excite nonlinear processes or optomechanical effects in our high-Q resonators. The PI has demonstrated strong commitment to education and its integration with research programs in the lab. Her lab has been an important venue for students at different levels to gain research experiences and learn problem-solving strategies from the assigned projects. The new laser system will be integrated into the lab projects through which students can investigate, under the PIÕs supervision, various whispering-gallery technologies developed in her lab.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910234
Entities
People
- Lan Yang
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- Washington University in St. Louis