A monochromatic wave that circulates in a nonlinear and dispersive optical cavity can become unstable and form a structured waveform. This phenomenon, known as modulation instability, was encountered in fiber lasers, optically pumped Kerr microresonators and, most recently, in monolithic ring quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). In ring QCLs, the instability led to generation of fundamental frequency combs—optical fields that repeat themselves once per cavity round trip. Here we show that the same instability may also result in self-starting harmonic frequency combs—waveforms that repeat themselves multiple times per round trip, akin to perfect soliton crystals in ring Kerr microresonators. We can tailor the intermode spacing of harmonic frequency combs by placing two minute defects with a well-defined separation between them along the ring waveguide. On-demand excitation of frequency comb states with few powerful modes spaced by hundreds of gigahertz may find their use in future sub-terahertz generators.
This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2024
Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have emerged as promising candidates for generating chip-scale frequency combs in mid-infrared and terahertz wavelengths. In this work, we demonstrate frequency comb formation in ring terahertz QCLs using the injection of light from a distributed feedback (DFB) laser. The DFB design frequency is chosen to match the modes of the ring cavity (near 3.3 THz), and light from the DFB is injected into the ring QCL via a bus waveguide. By controlling the power and frequency of the optical injection, we show that combs can be selectively formed and controlled in the ring cavity. Numerical modeling suggests that this comb is primarily frequency-modulated in character, with the injection serving to trigger comb formation. We also show that the ring can be used as a filter to control the output of the DFB QCL, potentially being of interest in terahertz photonic integrated circuits. Our work demonstrates that waveguide couplers are a compelling approach for injecting and extracting radiation from ring terahertz combs and offer exciting possibilities for the generation of new comb states in terahertz, such as frequency-modulated waves, solitons, and more.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 2349259
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10489581
- Publisher / Repository:
- AIP
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- APL Photonics
- Volume:
- 8
- Issue:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 2378-0967
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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