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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

High-Q optical whispering-gallery microresonators: properties and applications

Vladimir S. Ilchenko, M. L. Gorodetsky

Published May 21, 1995• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

The combination of a high Q > 109 and small dimensions (down to few tens of micrometers) in glass microspheres1 makes them an attractive new type of optical resonator for different applications. Because of their strong field confinement, they are proposed for intracavity photon-number measurement by means of material nonlinearity χ(3) or dispersive interaction with near-resonant atoms.1,2

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Summary form only given, as follows: The high Q whispering gallery modes of silica microspheres are promising for quantum optics and nonlinear optics experiments involving atoms and photons stored in very small volumes. We have developed the technology of these resonators, learning how to couple light in and out through optical fibers, how to obtain and measure record Q factors, and how to probe, by near-field optical microscopy, the electric field distribution immediately outside the sphere. Whispering gallery mode lasers have also been obtained with microspheres made of silica doped with neodymium ions. We describe these experiments and discuss projects involving the coupling of whispering gallery modes to single atoms or ions to perform cavity QED experiments in the optical domain.

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Optical whispering gallery modes (WGMs) derive their name from a famous acoustic phenomenon of guiding a wave by a curved boundary observed nearly a century ago.This phenomenon has a rather general nature, equally applicable to sound and all other waves.It enables resonators of unique properties attractive both in science and engineering.Very high quality factors of optical WGM resonators persisting in a wide wavelength range spanning from radio frequencies to ultraviolet light, their small mode volume, and tunable in-and out-coupling make them exceptionally efficient for nonlinear optical applications.Nonlinear optics facilitates interaction of photons with each other and with other physical systems, and is of prime importance in quantum optics.In this paper we review numerous applications of WGM resonators in nonlinear and quantum optics.We outline the current areas of interest, summarize progress, highlight difficulties, and discuss possible future development trends in these areas.

arXiv:1605.07972•Journal of Optics•Nov 16, 2016•328 citations
The combination of a high Q > 109 and small dimensions (down to few tens of micrometers) in glass microspheres1 makes them an attractive new type of optical resonator for different applications. Because of their strong field confinement, they are proposed for intracavity photon-number measurement by means of material nonlinearity χ(3) or dispersive interaction with near-resonant atoms.1,2
High- and ultrahigh-Q whispering-gallery mode resonators have the capability to trap photons by total internal reflection for a duration ranging from nanoseconds to milliseconds. These exceptionally long photon lifetimes enhance the light–matter interactions at all scales, namely at the electronic, molecular, and lattice levels. As a consequence, nonlinear photon scattering can be triggered with very low threshold powers, down to a few microwatts. The possibility to efficiently harness photon–photon interactions with a system optimizing size, weight, power, and cost constraints has created a new, quickly thriving research area in photonics science and technology. This topic is inherently cross-disciplinary, as it stands at the intersection of nonlinear and quantum optics, crystallography, optoelectronics, and microwave photonics. From a fundamental perspective, high-Q whispering-gallery mode resonators have emerged as an ideal platform to investigate light–matter interactions in nonlinear bulk materials. From an applied viewpoint, technological applications include time-metrology, aerospace engineering, coherent optical fiber communications, or nonclassical light generation, among others. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the most recent advances in this area, which is increasingly gaining importance in contemporary photonics.
Summary form only given, as follows: The high Q whispering gallery modes of silica microspheres are promising for quantum optics and nonlinear optics experiments involving atoms and photons stored in very small volumes. We have developed the technology of these resonators, learning how to couple light in and out through optical fibers, how to obtain and measure record Q factors, and how to probe, by near-field optical microscopy, the electric field distribution immediately outside the sphere. Whispering gallery mode lasers have also been obtained with microspheres made of silica doped with neodymium ions. We describe these experiments and discuss projects involving the coupling of whispering gallery modes to single atoms or ions to perform cavity QED experiments in the optical domain.
High-Q optical microresonators combine low losses and high optical energy concentration in a small effective mode volume, making them an attractive platform for optical sensors. While light is confined in the microresonator by total internal reflection, a portion of the optical field, known as the evanescent field, extends outside. This makes the mode's resonant frequency sensitive to changes in the surrounding environment. In this work, we explore the quantum sensitivity limits of this type of sensors. We show that using the intracavity squeezing of the light in the microresonator, it is possible to suppress the influence of the optical losses and cancel the undesirable self phase modulation effect, originating from the cubic non-linearity of the microresonators media. As a result, the sensitivity surpassing the shot noise limit can be achieved. An additional sensitivity gain can be obtained by preparing the input light in a squeezed quantum state.
In 2016 we published a review paper "Nonlinear and Quantum Optics with Whispering Gallery Resonators" (1). While writing this review, we found it often necessary to defer addressing many challenges of the field to the future. At the same time, many potential benefits offered by nonlinear optical resonators were also deferred to the future pending the underlying technology development. The past ten years have seen a great deal of such development, including in the field of resonator optics. We feel that an update to our 2016 review is in order. In this new review we focus on the most significant developments in the field that took place in past ten years.
Optical whispering gallery modes (WGMs) derive their name from a famous acoustic phenomenon of guiding a wave by a curved boundary observed nearly a century ago.This phenomenon has a rather general nature, equally applicable to sound and all other waves.It enables resonators of unique properties attractive both in science and engineering.Very high quality factors of optical WGM resonators persisting in a wide wavelength range spanning from radio frequencies to ultraviolet light, their small mode volume, and tunable in-and out-coupling make them exceptionally efficient for nonlinear optical applications.Nonlinear optics facilitates interaction of photons with each other and with other physical systems, and is of prime importance in quantum optics.In this paper we review numerous applications of WGM resonators in nonlinear and quantum optics.We outline the current areas of interest, summarize progress, highlight difficulties, and discuss possible future development trends in these areas.