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arXiv:2109.05730 · Physical Review Applied

Optical Frequency Tweezers

Rikizo Ikuta, Masayo Yokota, Toshiki Kobayashi, Nobuyuki Imoto, Takashi Yamamoto

Published Mar 4, 2022• 6 citations
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Abstract

We show a concept of optical frequency tweezers for tweezing light in the optical frequency domain with a high resolution, which is the frequency version of optical tweezers for the spatial manipulation of microscopic objects. We report a proof-of-principle experiment via frequency conversion inside a cavity only for the converted light. Owing to the atypical configuration, the experiment successfully achieves the tweezing operation in the frequency domain, which picks light at a target frequency from the frequency-multiplexed input light and converts it to a different frequency, without touching any other light sitting in different frequency positions and shaking the frequency by the pump light.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.17.034012

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We show a concept of optical frequency tweezers for tweezing light in the optical frequency domain with a high resolution, which is the frequency version of optical tweezers for the spatial manipulation of microscopic objects. We report a proof-of-principle experiment via frequency conversion inside a cavity only for the converted light. Owing to the atypical configuration, the experiment successfully achieves the tweezing operation in the frequency domain, which picks light at a target frequency from the frequency-multiplexed input light and converts it to a different frequency, without touching any other light sitting in different frequency positions and shaking the frequency by the pump light.
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Coherent frequency conversion of structured light, i.e. the ability to manipulate the carrier frequency of a wave front without distorting its spatial phase and intensity profile, provides the opportunity for numerous novel applications in photonic technology and fundamental science. In particular, frequency conversion of spatial modes carrying orbital angular momentum can be exploited in sub-wavelength resolution nano-optics and coherent imaging at a wavelength different from that used to illuminate an object. Moreover, coherent frequency conversion will be crucial for interfacing information stored in the high-dimensional spatial structure of single and entangled photons with various constituents of quantum networks. In this work, we demonstrate frequency conversion of structured light from the near infrared (803 nm) to the visible (527 nm). The conversion scheme is based on sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal pumped with a 1540-nm Gaussian beam. We observe frequency-converted fields that exhibit a high degree of similarity with the input field and verify the coherence of the frequency-conversion process via mode projection measurements with a phase mask and a single-mode fiber. Our results demonstrate the suitability of exploiting the technique for applications in quantum information processing and coherent imaging.
Optical frequency conversion provides a fundamental and important approach to manipulate light in frequency domain. In such a process, manipulating the frequency of light without changing information in other degrees of freedom of light will enable us to establish an interface between various optical systems operating in different frequency regions and have many classical and quantum applications. Here we experimentally demonstrate a frequency conversion with maintaining polarization and orbital angular momentum (OAM) by successfully upconverting various polarization-OAM composite states in a nonlinear Sagnac interferometer. Our scheme offers a new possibility for building different wave band interfaces in more degrees of freedom.
We demonstrate the coherent frequency conversion of structured light, optical beams in which the phase varies in each point of the transverse plane, from the near infrared (803nm) to the visible (527nm). The frequency conversion process makes use of sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate (ppLN) crystal with the help of a 1540-nm Gaussian pump beam. We perform far-field intensity measurements of the frequency-converted field, and verify the sought-after transformation of the characteristic intensity and phase profiles for various input modes. The coherence of the frequency-conversion process is confirmed using a mode-projection technique with a phase mask and a single-mode fiber. The presented results could be of great relevance to novel applications in high-resolution microscopy and quantum information processing.
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