Threshold and Laser Conversion in Nanostructured-Resonator Parametric Oscillators

Published

January 10, 2024

Author(s)

Haixin Liu, Grant Brodnik, Jizhao Zang, David Carlson, Jennifer Black, Scott Papp

Abstract

We explore optical parametric oscillation (OPO) in nanophotonic resonators, enabling arbitrary, nonlinear phase matching and nearly lossless control of energy conversion. Such pristine OPO laser converters are determined by nonlinear light-matter interactions, making them both technologically flexible and broadly reconfigurable. We utilize a nanostructured inner-wall modulation in the resonator to achieve universal phase matching for OPO-laser conversion, but coherent backscattering also induces a counterpropagating pump laser. This depletes the intraresonator optical power in either direction, increasing the OPO threshold power and limiting laser-conversion efficiency, the ratio of optical power in target signal and idler frequencies to the pump. We develop an analytical model of this system that emphasizes an understanding of optimal laser-conversion and threshold behaviors, and we use the model to guide experiments with nanostructured-resonator OPO laser-conversion circuits, fully integrated on chip and unlimited by group velocity dispersion. Our Letter demonstrates the fundamental connection between OPO laser-conversion efficiency and the resonator coupling rate, subject to the relative phase and power of counterpropagating pump fields. We achieve (40+-4) mW of on-chip power, corresponding to (41+-4)% conversion efficiency, and discover a path toward near-unity OPO laser-conversion efficiency.

Citation

Physical Review Letters

Volume

132

Issue

2

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.023801

Local Download

Keywords

Nonlinear Optics, Microresonator, Optical parametric oscillation, Nanophotonics

Citation

Liu, H. , Brodnik, G. , Zang, J. , Carlson, D. , Black, J. and Papp, S. (2024), Threshold and Laser Conversion in Nanostructured-Resonator Parametric Oscillators, Physical Review Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.023801, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=936538 (Accessed April 27, 2024)