We introduce a microwave circuit architecture for quantum signal processing combining design principles borrowed from high-Q 3D resonators in the quantum regime and from planar structures fabricated with standard lithography. The resulting 2.5D whispering-gallery mode resonators store 98% of their energy in vacuum. We have measured internal quality factors above 3 million at the single photon level and have used the device as a materials characterization platform to place an upper bound on the surface resistance of thin film aluminum of less than 250nOhms.
In this paper we discuss the force exerted by the field of an optical cavity on a polarizable dipole. We show that the modification of the cavity modes due to interaction with the dipole significantly alters the properties of the force. In particular, all components of the force are found to be non-conservative, and cannot, therefore, be derived from a potential energy. We also suggest a simple generalization of the standard formulas for the optical force on the dipole, which reproduces the results of calculations based on the Maxwell stress tensor.
We demonstrate that yttrium iron garnet microspheres support optical whispering gallery modes similar to those in non-magnetic dielectric materials. The direction of the ferromagnetic moment tunes both the resonant frequency via the Voigt effect as well as the degree of polarization rotation via the Faraday effect. An understanding of the magneto-optical coupling in whispering gallery modes, where the propagation direction rotates with respect to the magnetization, is fundamental to the emerging field of cavity optomagnonics.
We report a theoretical study showing that rogue waves can emerge in whispering gallery mode resonators as the result of the chaotic interplay between Kerr nonlinearity and anomalous group-velocity dispersion. The nonlinear dynamics of the propagation of light in a whispering gallery-mode resonator is investigated using the Lugiato-Lefever equation, and we evidence a range of parameters where rare and extreme events associated with a non-gaussian statistics of the field maxima are observed.
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.
We theoretically study the properties of highly prolate shaped dielectric microresonators. Such resonators sustain whispering gallery modes that exhibit two spatially well separated regions with enhanced field strength. The field per photon on the resonator surface is significantly higher than e.g. for equatorial whispering gallery modes in microsphere resonators with a comparable mode volume. At the same time, the frequency spacing of these modes is much more favorable, so that a tuning range of several free spectral ranges should be attainable. We discuss the possible application of such resonators for cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments with neutral atoms and reveal distinct advantages with respect to existing concepts.