No Arabic abstract
Optical systems combining balanced loss and gain profiles provide a unique platform to implement classical analogues of quantum systems described by non-Hermitian parity-time- (PT-) symmetric Hamiltonians and to originate new synthetic materials with novel properties. To date, experimental works on PT-symmetric optical systems have been limited to waveguides in which resonances do not play a role. Here we report the first demonstration of PT-symmetry breaking in optical resonator systems by using two directly coupled on-chip optical whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microtoroid silica resonators. Gain in one of the resonators is provided by optically pumping Erbium (Er3+) ions embedded in the silica matrix; the other resonator exhibits passive loss. The coupling strength between the resonators is adjusted by using nanopositioning stages to tune their distance. We have observed reciprocal behavior of the PT-symmetric system in the linear regime, as well as a transition to nonreciprocity in the PT symmetry-breaking phase transition due to the significant enhancement of nonlinearity in the broken-symmetry phase. Our results represent a significant advance towards a new generation of synthetic optical systems enabling on-chip manipulation and control of light propagation.
We use a non-Lindbladian master equation of the Scully-Lamb laser model for the analysis of light propagation in a parity-time symmetric photonic system composed of coupled active and passive whispering-gallery microresonators. Performing the semiclassical approximation, we obtain a set of two nonlinear coupled differential equations describing the time evolution of intracavity fields. These coupled equations are able to explain the experimentally-observed light non-reciprocity [Peng {em et al.}, Nature Physics {bf 10}, 394 (2014), Chang {em et al.}, Nature Photonics {bf 8}, 524 (2014)]. We show that this effect arises from the interplay between gain saturation in the active microcavity, intercavity coupling, and losses in the cavities. Additionally, using this approach, we study the effect of the gain saturation on exceptional points, i.e., exotic degeneracies in non-Hermitian systems. Namely, we demonstrate that the inclusion of gain saturation leads to a modification of the exceptional points in the presence of intense intracavity fields. The Scully-Lamb master equation for systems of coupled optical structures, as proposed and applied here, constitutes a promising tool for the study of quantum optical effects in coupled systems with losses, gain, and gain saturation.
Electromagnetically-induced-transparency (EIT) and Autler-Townes splitting (ATS) are two prominent examples of coherent interactions between optical fields and multilevel atoms. They have been observed in various physical systems involving atoms, molecules, meta-structures and plasmons. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the implementations of all-optical analogues of EIT and ATS via the interacting resonant modes of one or more optical microcavities. Despite the differences in their underlying physics, both EIT and ATS are quantified by the appearance of a transparency window in the absorption or transmission spectrum, which often leads to a confusion about its origin. While in EIT the transparency window is a result of Fano interference among different transition pathways, in ATS it is the result of strong field-driven interactions leading to the splitting of energy levels. Being able to tell objectively whether a transparency window observed in the spectrum is due to EIT or ATS is crucial for clarifying the physics involved and for practical applications. Here we report a systematic study of the pathways leading to EIT, Fano, and ATS, in systems of two coupled whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microtoroidal resonators. Moreover, we report for the first time the application of the Akaike Information Criterion discerning between all-optical analogues of EIT and ATS, and clarifying the transition between them.
We demonstrate a thermal infrared (IR) detector based on an ultra-high-quality-factor (Q) whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microtoroidal silica resonator, and investigate its performance to detect IR radiation at 10 micron wavelength. The bandwidth and the sensitivity of the detector are dependent on the power of a probe laser and the detuning between the probe laser and the resonance frequency of the resonator. The microtoroid IR sensor achieved a noise-equivalent-power (NEP) of 7.46 nW, corresponding to IR intensity of 0.095 mW/cm^2
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators are compelling optical devices, however they are nearly unexplored in the terahertz (THz) domain. In this letter, we report on THz WGMs in quartz glass bubble resonators with sub-wavelength wall thickness. An unprecedented study of both the amplitude and phase of THz WGMs is presented. The coherent THz frequency domain measurements are in excellent agreement with a simple analytical model and results from numerical simulations. A high finesse of 9 and a quality (Q) factor exceeding 440 at 0.47 THz are observed. Due to the large evanescent field the high Q-factor THz WGM bubble resonators can be used as a compact, highly sensitive sensor in the intriguing THz frequency range.
Quasiclassical approach and geometric optics allow to describe rather accurately whispering gallery modes in convex axisymmetric bodies. Using this approach we obtain practical formulas for the calculation of eigenfrequencies and radiative Q-factors in dielectrical spheroid and compare them with the known solutions for the particular cases and with numerical calculations. We show how geometrical interpretation allows expansion of the method on arbitrary shaped axisymmetric bodies.