Optomechanical sensing with on-chip microcavities

The coupling between optical and mechanical degrees of freedom has been of broad interest for a long time. However, it is only until recently, with the rapid development of optical mierocavity research, that we are able to manipulate and utilize this coupling process. When a high Q microeavity couples to a mechanical resonator, they can consolidate into an optomeehanieal system. Benefitting from the unique characteristics offered by optomeehanical coupling, this hybrid system has become a promising platform for ultrasensitive sensors to detect displacement, mass, force and acceleration. In this review, we introduce the basic physical concepts of cavity optomechanies, and describe some of the most typical experimental cavity optomechanical systems for sensing applications. Finally, we discuss the noise arising from various sources and show the potentiality of optomechanical sensing towards quantum-noise-limited detection.     

基于硅基光子器件的Fano共振研究进展

硅基光子技术的发展为新型微纳光学功能器件和片上系统提供了高可靠、高精度的实现手段.采用硅基光子技术构建的具有连续(准连续)模式微腔与离散模式的微腔耦合产生的Fano共振现象得到了广泛关注.Fano共振光谱在共振波长附近具有不对称且尖锐的谐振峰,传输光的强度在共振波长附近从0突变为1,该机制可显著提高硅基光开关、探测器、传感器,以及光非互易性全光信号处理的性能.本综述分析了Fano共振的一般数学表述,总结了当前硅基光子微腔耦合产生Fano共振的理论模型研究现状,讨论了不同类型硅光器件实现Fano共振的方法,比较各种方案优劣及适用场合,梳理了Fano共振在全光信号处理方面的应用研究情况.最后探讨存在的一些问题及未来可能的相关研究方向.     

Recent Advances of Light Propagation in Surface Plasmon Enhanced Quantum Dot Devices

Surface plasmons are of particular interest recently as their performance is approaching the enhancement of light emission efficiencies, after synthesized close to the vicinity of solid state materials, i.e., semiconductor structure. As other scientific works have been proposed to improve the light-emitting efficiency, such as the use of resonant cavities, photon recycling, and thin-light emitting layers with periodic surface texturing, surface plasmon possesses a promising way to the light enhancement, due to the energy coupling effect between the emitted photons from the semiconductor and the metallic nanoparticles fabricated by nanotechnology. The usual pathway of plasmon enhanced light emitting devices is the use of Ag/Au nanoparticles coating the surface of semiconductor quantum dot (QD) or quantum well (QW) structures. However, apart from efforts to extract as much light as possible from single-driven surface plasmon-QD/QW, it is possible to enhance the light emission rate with double optical-excitations. This approach is based on the quantum interference between the external lasers and the localized quantum light, and promised to stimulate the development of plasmon-enhanced optical sensors. In this review, we describe the quantum properties of light propagation in hybrid nanoparticle and semiconductor materials, i.e., quantum dot or nanomechanical resonator coupled to Ag/Au nanoparticles, driven by two optical fields. Distinct with single excitation, plasmon-assisted complex driven by two optical fields, exhibit specific quantum interference characteristics that can be used as sensitive all-optical devices, such as the slow light switch, nonlinear optical Kerr modulator, and ultra-sensitive mass sensing. We summarize the recent advances of light propagation in surface plasmon-enhanced quantum dot devices, driven by two optical fields, which would stimulate the development of novel optical materials, deeper theoretical insights, innovative new devices, and plasmonic applications with potential for significant technological and societal impact.     

金刚石氮空位色心耦合机械振子和腔场系统中方差压缩研究

研究了金刚石氮空位中心(NV色心)同时耦合腔场和机械振子系统中声子场的方差压缩动力学特性,分析了金刚石NV色心初态和NV色心与机械振子耦合强度对声子场方差压缩影响.结果发现:可以制备压缩时间长、压缩幅度大的声子场压缩态,其物理原因是机械振子具有最大相干性,并且通过调控NV色心初态以及磁场梯度可以实现对机械振子方差压缩非经典特性的操控,从而在理论上提供了一种调控声子场方差压缩的方式.     

Technique for referencing of fiber-optic intensity-modulated sensors by use of counterpropagating signals

We present a new all-optical fiber-referencing scheme for intensity-modulated sensors. It consists of a closed loop traversed by sensing and reference optical signals in opposite directions. With the proposed scheme the noise induced by power fluctuations of the optical source and mechanical perturbations can be greatly reduced. We experimentally demonstrate the efficiency of the scheme and discuss its use in a sensor array.     

All-optical scheme for detecting the possible Majorana signature based on QD and nanomechanical resonator systems

Majorana fermions(MFs) are exotic particles that are their own anti-particles. Currently, the search for MFs occurring as quasiparticle excitations in condensed matter systems has attracted widespread interest, because of their importance in fundamental physics and potential applications in topological quantum computation based on solid-state devices. Motivated by recent experimental progress towards the detection and manipulation of MFs in hybrid semiconductor/superconductor heterostructures, in this review, we present a novel proposal to probe MFs in all-optical domain. We introduce a single quantum dot(QD), a hybrid quantum dot-nanomechanical resonators(QD-NR) system, and a carbon nanotube(CNT) resonator implanted in a single electron spin system with optical pump-probe technology to detect MFs, respectively. With this scheme, a possible Majorana signature is investigated via the probe absorption spectrum and nonlinear optical Kerr effect, and the coupling strength between MFs and the QD or the single electron spin is also determined. In the hybrid QD-NR system, vibration of the NR will enhance the nonlinear optical effect, which makes the MFs more sensitive for detection. In the CNT resonator with a single electron, the single electron spin can be considered as a sensitive probe, and the CNT resonator behaved as a phonon cavity is robust for detecting of MFs. This optical scheme will provide another method for the detection MFs and will open the door for new applications ranging from robust manipulation of MFs to quantum information processing based on MFs.     

High-Speed Quantum Transducer with a Single-Photon Emitter in a 2D Resonator

Quantum transducers can transfer quantum information between different systems. Microwave–optical photon conversion is important for future quantum networks to interconnect remote superconducting quantum computers with optical fibers. Here, a high-speed quantum transducer based on a single-photon emitter in an atomically thin membrane resonator, that can couple single microwave photons to single optical photons, is proposed. The 2D resonator is a freestanding van der Waals heterostructure (which may consist of hexagonal boron nitride, graphene, or other 2D materials) that hosts a quantum emitter. The mechanical vibration (phonon) of the 2D resonator interacts with optical photons by shifting the optical transition frequency of the single-photon emitter with strain or the Stark effect. The mechanical vibration couples to microwave photons by shifting the resonant frequency of an LC circuit that includes the membrane. Thanks to the small mass of the 2D resonator, both the single-photon optomechanical coupling strength and the electromechanical coupling strength can reach the strong coupling regime. This provides a way for high-speed quantum state transfer between a microwave photon, a phonon, and an optical photon.     

Design and Performance Analysis of High Speed Optical Binary Code Converter using Micro-Ring Resonator

The present paper describes various attractive logical code conversions using optical micro-ring resonator. We have proposed an all-optical switching activity using silicon waveguide based micro-ring resonator under low-power operation through two-photon absorption effect. The different properties of the optical switch are analyzed through numerical simulation. We have also proposed and described all-optical binary-to-octal, binary-coded-decimal-to-excess-3 and binary-to-Gray-code converter circuits by this proposed architecture. Numerical simulation results for code conversion verifying the proposed methods are given in this paper. We identify a combination of feasible ring radius and detuning through numerical simulation that allows analyzing the system performance of the scheme.     

布里渊动态光栅原理及其在光纤传感中的应用

自从2007年布里渊动态光栅被首次提出用于实现光存储以来,该技术得到了国际上的广泛关注和研究.布里渊动态光栅本质上是由相干声波场激发的折射率光栅,一般情况下两束抽运光(频率差等于光纤的布里渊频移)以相同的偏振态从光纤两端注入到光纤中,通过受激布里渊散射效应激发出相干声波场,即形成布里渊动态光栅.光纤布里渊动态光栅因具有全光产生、参数灵活可控的优点,已被广泛研究应用于光纤传感、光纤特性表征、光存储、全光信号处理、微波光子学和高精度光谱分析等.本文分析布里渊动态光栅产生和探测原理,重点探讨在高性能分布式光纤传感上的应用,这些应用包括高灵敏度温度和应变分布式传感、温度和应变同时解调、分布式横向压力传感、分布式静压力(气压或液压)传感、高空间分辨率分布式传感和高精度光谱分析.     

双光腔耦合下机械振子的基态冷却

机械振子的基态冷却是腔量子光力学中的基本问题之一.所谓的基态冷却就是让机械振子的稳态声子数小于1.本文通过光压涨落谱和稳态声子数研究双光腔光力系统(标准单光腔光力系统中引入第二个光腔,并与第一个光腔直接耦合)的基态冷却.首先得到系统的有效哈密顿量,然后给出朗之万方程和速率方程,最后分别给出空腔和原子腔的光压涨落谱、冷却率和稳态声子数.通过光压涨落谱、冷却率和稳态声子数表达式,重点讨论空腔时机械振子的基态冷却,发现当满足最佳参数条件(机械振子的冷却跃迁速率对应光压涨落谱的最大值,而加热跃迁速率对应光压涨落谱的最小值)时,机械振子可以被冷却到稳态声子数足够少.此外分析:当辅助腔内注入原子系综时,若参数选择恰当可能更利于基态冷却.     

基于宽带光源和自外差检测的布里渊光时域反射温度传感系统

为简化系统结构、减小相干瑞利噪声对系统性能的影响,提出了一种采用宽带光源的瑞利和布里渊散射自外差检测布里渊光时域反射温度传感系统.分析了瑞利和布里渊自外差检测原理,研究了布里渊频移和自外差信号功率与光纤温度和应变的关系.设计并搭建采用宽带光源的自外差检测布里渊光时域反射温度传感系统,获得了常温下沿光纤分布的自外差信号功率谱及不同温度时加温段光纤的功率谱,验证了布里渊频移和自外差信号相对功率变化随温度的线性增加关系.通过实验数据获得的布里渊频移和相对功率变化的温度系数分别为1.07±0.01MHz/℃和(0.37±0.09)%/℃.本文的研究结果为基于瑞利和布里渊自外差检测布里渊光时域反射传感系统的温度和应变同时测量提供了理论和实验依据.     

SOA-fiber ring laser and its application to electric field sensing in frequency domain

We have developed a novel optical fiber ring laser using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as the gain medium, and taking advantage of polarization anisotropy of its gain. The laser can control the oscillation frequency difference between two counterpropagating lights by incorporating a birefringent medium into the ring resonator. Since the frequency difference is proportional to the birefringence, it can be measured to detect the beat frequency generated by combining two counterpropagating lights and the laser can be applied to an optical fiber sensor whose detecting signal is in frequency domain. Electric field sensor was demonstrated with a lithium niobate crystal as a sensing probe.     

Precision Mass Measurement with Optomechanically Induced Transparency in an Optomechanical System

We present a scheme for all-optical precision mass sensing with squeezed field in an optomechanical system in terms of optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT). We demonstrate that the splitting of the two peaks of the OMIT, which is almost inverse proportion to square root of the accreted mass landing on nanomechanical resonator (NAMR). We also show that the mass measurement scheme for the squeezed fields can be robust against temperature and cavity decay in somehow. Specifically, the precision measurement is from the noise spectrum, for these reasons, our scheme may provide a new paradigm for precision measurement based on the noise in the optomechanical system.     

Carrier-induced optical bistability in silicon ring resonators

We demonstrate optical bistability in a micrometer-sized silicon ring resonator based on the free-carrier dispersion effect in silicon. We measure the transfer function of the resonator showing a hysteresis loop with an input optical power of less than 10 mW. The influence of the thermal optical effect, which is minimized in the experiment by use of nanosecond pulses, is evaluated theoretically. Applications include sequential logic operations for all-optical routing.     

Asynchronous optical sampling for high-speed characterization of integrated resonant terahertz sensors

Two femtosecond Ti:sapphire lasers with slightly different repetition rates near 1 GHz are coupled to implement high-speed asynchronous optical sampling. The application of this technique is successfully demonstrated in the field of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS). A time delay of 1 ns is scanned at a frequency of 5 kHz without moving mechanical parts. Compared with that of conventional TDS schemes based on lock-in detection and moving mirrors, the readout time of integrated resonant THz sensors is reduced by a factor of 20, opening the way for high-throughput THz sensing in marker-free DNA analysis.     

Optical bistability in a single-bus InGaAs micro-ring resonator array

In this paper, we investigate the optical bistability induced by optical nonlinearity in a compact parallel array of micro-ring resonators with radius of 5 μm. Due to the nature of perfect light confinement in this structure, resonance and accumulation process in a ring resonator and optical nonlinear effects, are observable even at small optical power (a few milliwatts). Different optical applications such as all-optical switching, optical memory devices, logic gates and modulators are possible, due to optical bistability in a ring resonator. Using alternative semiconductor compounds, instead of silicon that have weak nonlinear optical properties, we improve the performance of ring-resonator based devices. Here we use a polymer cladding layer with negative thermo-optic coefficient. Using this structure we can eliminate the temperature created nonlinearity which is a very slow process. Therefore, the switching speed increases from a few MHz to several tens of GHz. By plotting the transfer function of the resonator, a hysteresis loop is observed in a few milliwatts. Although, using a ring resonator array the bandwidth reduces, however, the width of the hysteresis loop and resolution between both steady state increases.     

Temperature switch based on optical bistability

We have demonstrated a temperature switch based on an optically bistable device integrated with an optical fibre. The principle demonstrated here might lead to the development of new types of all-optical temperature sensors.     

Effective mass in quantum effects of radiation pressure

We study the quantum effects of radiation pressure in a high-finesse cavity with a mirror coated on a mechanical resonator. We show that the optomechanical coupling can be described by an effective susceptibility which takes into account every acoustic modes of the resonator and their coupling to the light. At low frequency this effective response is similar to a harmonic response with an effective mass smaller than the total mass of the mirror. For a plano-convex resonator the effective mass is related to the light spot size and becomes very small for small optical waists, thus enhancing the quantum effects of optomechanical coupling.     

Ultra-high speed all-optical shift registers and their applications in OTDM networks

All-optical shift registers are basic building modules for the development of ultra-high speed optical time division multiplexing networks. In this paper, we review the progress that has been made in this cutting-edge technology, focusing on implementations that exploit the attractive features of semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based interferometric configurations. We present regenerative storage performed with an all-optical recirculating shift register with an inverter at 10 Gb/s using a SOA-assisted Sagnac switch and a second SOA to provide feedback. We demonstrate also an all-optical memory based on the SOA-assisted Ultrafast Nonlinear Interferometer capable of reading/writing 20 Gb/s packets of variable length without data inversion. These registers can find application in the development of two nontrivial complex all-optical circuits of enhanced functionality. The first is an all-optical pseudorandom binary sequence generator for which we describe an efficient design algorithm and propose ways for monitoring and verification. The second is an all-optical error counter for which we address the error detection and evaluation issues using a novel sampling technique. These circuits are key elements for the implementation of a high-speed, all-optical bit error rate tester (BERT), which has the potential to outperform its electronic equivalent and constitute a possible new product for the telecommunications industry.     

Performance investigation of microphotonic-silicon devices in a field-trial all-optical network

The performance of microphotonic-silicon devices in a geographically-distributed optical fiber network is experimentally investigated. Two different devices are tested: an optical filter based on a silicon ring resonator and an all-optical wavelength converter based on four-wave mixing in a dispersion-tailored highly nonlinear silicon waveguide. The evaluation of the devices is performed by means of eye diagrams and measurements of the bit error rate.