skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Optothermal dynamics in whispering-gallery microresonators
Abstract Optical whispering-gallery-mode microresonators with ultrahigh quality factors and small mode volumes have played an important role in modern physics. They have been demonstrated as a diverse platform for a wide range of applications in photonics, such as nonlinear optics, optomechanics, quantum optics, and information processing. Thermal behaviors induced by power build-up in the resonators or environmental perturbations are ubiquitous in high-quality-factor whispering-gallery-mode resonators and have played an important role in their operation for various applications. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of laser-field-induced thermal nonlinear effects, including thermal bistability and thermal oscillation. With the help of the thermal bistability effect, optothermal spectroscopy and optical nonreciprocity have been demonstrated. By tuning the temperature of the environment, the resonant mode frequency will shift, which can also be used for thermal sensing/tuning applications. The thermal locking technique and thermal imaging mechanisms are discussed briefly. Finally, we review some techniques employed to achieve thermal stability in a high-quality-factor resonator system.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1641109
PAR ID:
10153553
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
Nature Publishing Group
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Light: Science & Applications
Volume:
9
Issue:
1
ISSN:
2047-7538
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; (, Photonics Research)
    We experimentally demonstrate and numerically analyze large arrays of whispering gallery resonators. Using fluorescent mapping, we measure the spatial distribution of the cavity ensemble’s resonances, revealing that light reaches distant resonators in various ways, including while passing through dark gaps, resonator groups, or resonator lines. Energy spatially decays exponentially in the cavities. Our practically infinite periodic array of resonators, with a quality factor (Q) exceeding 107, might impact a new type of photonic ensembles for nonlinear optics and lasers using our cavity continuum that is distributed, while having high-Qresonators as unit cells. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; (, Photonics Research)
    Bound states in the continuum (BICs) hold significant promise in manipulating electromagnetic fields and reducing losses in optical structures, leading to advancements in fundamental research and practical applications. Despite their observation in various optical systems, the behavior of BIC in whispering-gallery-modes (WGMs) optical microcavities, essential components of photonic integrated chips, has yet to be thoroughly explored. In this study, we propose and experimentally identify a robust mechanism for generating quasi-BIC in a single deformed microcavity. By introducing boundary deformations, we construct stable unidirectional radiation channels as leaking continuum shared by different resonant modes and experimentally verify their external strong mode coupling. This results in drastically suppressed leaking loss of one originally long-lived resonance, manifested as more than a threefold enhancement of its quality (Q) factor, while the other short-lived resonance becomes more lossy, demonstrating the formation of Friedrich–Wintgen quasi-BICs as corroborated by the theoretical model and experimental data. This research will provide a practical approach to enhance theQ-factor of optical microcavities, opening up potential applications in the area of deformed microcavities, nonlinear optics, quantum optics, and integrated photonics. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; (, Nano Select)
    Abstract This paper delves into the intricate world of whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators within complex microsphere configurations, exploring their optical properties and behavior. Integrated with optical sensing and processing technology, WGM resonators offer compact size, high sensitivity, rapid response, and tunability. The study investigates the impact of configuration, size, excitation, polarization, and coupling effects on WGM properties. Notable findings include enhanced sensitivity in single microsphere resonators, influence of unequal sphere sizes and excitation locations on WGM modes, and higher quality factors (Q‐factors) in triangular three‐microsphere resonator configurations. Circular polarization was found to elevate Q‐factors, while the nine‐microsphere resonator configuration exhibited increased intensity of dominant WGM peaks with higher laser power, suppressing other peaks. These insights guide the design and optimization of microsphere resonator systems, positioning them for applications in sensing and optical information processing. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Optics Express)
    Whispering-gallery-mode optical microresonators have found impactful applications in various areas due to their remarkable properties such as ultra-high quality factor (Q-factor), small mode volume, and strong evanescent field. Among these applications, controllable tuning of the optical Q-factor is vital for on-chip optical modulation and various opto-electronic devices. Here, we report an experimental demonstration with a hybrid structure formed by an ultra-high-Q microtoroid cavity and a graphene monolayer. Thanks to the strong interaction of the evanescent wave with the graphene, the structure allows the Q-factor to be controllably varied in the range of 3.9 × 105∼ 6.2 × 107by engineering optical absorption via changing the gap distance in between. At the same time, a resonant wavelength shift of 32 pm was also observed. Besides, the scheme enables us to approach the critical coupling with a coupling depth of 99.6%. As potential applications in integrated opto-electronic devices, we further use the system to realize a tunable optical filter with tunable bandwidth from 116.5 MHz to 2.2 GHz as well as an optical switch with a maximal extinction ratio of 31 dB and response time of 21 ms. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
    Polarization of optical fields is a crucial degree of freedom in the all-optical analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). However, the physical origins of EIT and polarization-induced phenomena have not been well distinguished, which can lead to confusion in associated applications such as slow light and optical/quantum storage. Here we study the polarization effects in various optical EIT systems. We find that a polarization mismatch between whispering gallery modes in two indirectly coupled resonators can induce a narrow transparency window in the transmission spectrum resembling the EIT lineshape. However, such polarization-induced transparency (PIT) is distinct from EIT: It originates from strong polarization rotation effects and shows a unidirectional feature. The coexistence of PIT and EIT provides additional routes for the manipulation of light flow in optical resonator systems. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email