© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

Whispering-Gallery Mode Resonators For Nonlinear And Quantum Optical Applications

Matthew T. Simons

Published Jan 1, 2014• 1 citation

Abstract

Quantum information is the next frontier in communications. to realize quantum communications, the quantum mechanical properties of today's best communication medium, light, must be harnessed in a scalable and efficient manner. Whispering-gallery mode resonators (WGMRs), a type of optical cavity, have advantages over traditional designs that can enhance processes used in the generation of nonclassical (quantum) states of light. In particular they reduce the power threshold for intensity-dependent nonlinear phenomena. One such process, second harmonic generation, can reduce the shot noise of light below the standard quantum limit. This dissertation explores the theoretical analysis and experimental tests of noise reduction through second harmonic generation in a crystalline whispering-gallery mode resonator. We also observe the generation of another nonlinear optical process, hyper-Raman scattering, at modest optical powers inside a crystalline WGMR. The change in optical properties of vanadium dioxide due to an optically-induced phase transition is also studied as a potential Q-switching material in a WGMR-type cavity.

DOI: 10.21220/s2-kw9e-9360

Related papers

Bright squeezed light via second harmonic generation in a whispering-gallery mode resonator

Matthew T. Simons, Irina V. Novikova

We investigate the conditions necessary for bright squeezed light generation through second harmonic generation inside a crystalline whispering-gallery mode resonator. We show that the variance of a coherent mode can be reduced by a factor of 9 due to low loss through a nonlinear medium. This results in a one-step process that can generate effcient bright squeeze light at a desired wavelength.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Feb 22, 2013•1 citation

Nonlinear photonics with high-Q whispering-gallery-mode resonators

Guoping Lin, Aurélien Coillet, Yanne K. Chembo

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.

Advances in Optics and Photonics•Nov 14, 2017•271 citations

Whispering gallery resonators for the quadratic nonlinear generation of light with less than one hundred molecules

Jordi Martorell, Jorge Luis Domínguez‐Juárez, Gregory Kozyreff

At least 1 billion molecules are typically required to generate detectable light through an optical nonlinear process. By trapping the light in the whispering gallery modes we observed second harmonic light from less than 100 molecules.

IEEE Photonics Society Annual Meeting•Oct 1, 2011•0 citations

Squeezed vacuum states from a whispering gallery mode resonator

Alexander Otterpohl, Florian Sedlmeir, Golnoush Shafiee +9 more

We demonstrate the generation of squeezed vacuum states of light in a crystalline whispering gallery mode resonator. We utilize a millimeter-sized lithium niobate resonator with strong optical second order nonlinearity. This system allows us to reach 1.2 dB of squeezing at a pump power of only 300 dW and offers hereby a compact and power efficient source of squeezed vacuum states of light.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2018•9 citations

Selective Coupling Enhances Harmonic Generation of Whispering-Gallery Modes

Luke S. Trainor, Florian Sedlmeir, Christian Peuntinger +1 more

Efficient generation of harmonics in nonlinear optical resonators, particularly in whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators, has led to successes such as parametric oscillators, narrow-band single-photon sources, and versatile frequency converters. A subtle problem, though, has strongly limited efficiency and hindered precise out-coupling of the generated light. Implementing their own prior theory and a polarization-selective birefringent coupling prism, the authors demonstrate an improvement of more than an order of magnitude in the amount of out-coupled light. The results are particularly interesting for applications in quantum optics relying on WGMs.

Physical Review Applied•Feb 7, 2018•20 citations

Nonlinear Optics in Crystalline Whispering Gallery Resonators

Christoph Marquardt, Dmitry Strekalov, Josef Urban Fürst +2 more

Whispering gallery resonators made from crystalline materials are compact, stable and highly tunable. These versatile devices can produce light in the classical and quantum domains, showing promise for applications in spectroscopy, metrology and quantum information schemes.

Optics and Photonics News•Jul 1, 2013•11 citations

Quantum information is the next frontier in communications. to realize quantum communications, the quantum mechanical properties of today's best communication medium, light, must be harnessed in a scalable and efficient manner. Whispering-gallery mode resonators (WGMRs), a type of optical cavity, have advantages over traditional designs that can enhance processes used in the generation of nonclassical (quantum) states of light. In particular they reduce the power threshold for intensity-dependent nonlinear phenomena. One such process, second harmonic generation, can reduce the shot noise of light below the standard quantum limit. This dissertation explores the theoretical analysis and experimental tests of noise reduction through second harmonic generation in a crystalline whispering-gallery mode resonator. We also observe the generation of another nonlinear optical process, hyper-Raman scattering, at modest optical powers inside a crystalline WGMR. The change in optical properties of vanadium dioxide due to an optically-induced phase transition is also studied as a potential Q-switching material in a WGMR-type cavity.

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.

Efficient generation of harmonics in nonlinear optical resonators, particularly in whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators, has led to successes such as parametric oscillators, narrow-band single-photon sources, and versatile frequency converters. A subtle problem, though, has strongly limited efficiency and hindered precise out-coupling of the generated light. Implementing their own prior theory and a polarization-selective birefringent coupling prism, the authors demonstrate an improvement of more than an order of magnitude in the amount of out-coupled light. The results are particularly interesting for applications in quantum optics relying on WGMs.