No Arabic abstract
We derive a general theory of linear coupling and Kerr nonlinear coupling between modes of dielectric optical resonators from first principles. The treatment is not specific to a particular geometry or choice of mode basis, and can therefore be used as a foundation for describing any phenomenon resulting from any combination of linear coupling, scattering and Kerr nonlinearity, such as bending and surface roughness losses, geometric backscattering, self- and cross-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, third-harmonic generation and Kerr frequency comb generation. The theory is then applied to a translationally symmetric waveguide in order to calculate the evanescent coupling strength to the modes of a microresonator placed nearby, as well as the Kerr self- and cross-phase modulation terms between the modes of the resonator. This is then used to derive a dimensionless equation describing the symmetry-breaking dynamics of two counterpropagating modes of a loop resonator and prove that cross-phase modulation is exactly twice as strong as self-phase modulation only in the case that the two counterpropagating modes are otherwise identical.
We report on the nonlinear coupling between the mechanical modes of a nanotube resonator. The coupling is revealed in a pump-probe experiment where a mode driven by a pump force is shown to modify the motion of a second mode measured with a probe force. In a second series of experiments, we actuate the resonator with only one oscillating force. Mechanical resonances feature exotic lineshapes with reproducible dips, peaks, and jumps when the measured mode is commensurate with another mode with a frequency ratio of either 2 or 3. Conventional lineshapes are recovered by detuning the frequency ratio using the voltage on a nearby gate electrode. The exotic lineshapes are attributed to strong coupling between the mechanical modes. The possibility to control the strength of the coupling with the gate voltage holds promise for various experiments, such as quantum manipulation, mechanical signal processing, and the study of the quantum-toclassical transition.
We present a rigorous photonic mode model to describe the strong coupling between a monolayer of $rm MoSe_2$ and a single gold nanoparticle. The onset of strong coupling is quantified by computing the three-dimensional hybrid quasinormal modes of the combined structure, allowing one to accurately model light-matter interactions without invoking the usual phenomenological theories of strong coupling. We explore the hybrid quasinormal modes as a function of gap size and temperature and find spectral splittings in the range of around 80-110 meV, with no fitting parameters for the material models. We also show how the hybrid modes exhibit Fano-like resonances and quantify the complex poles of the hybrid modes as well as the Purcell factor resonances from embedded dipole emitters. These effects cannot be described with the usual heuristic normal mode theories.
The emerging field of on-chip integration of nanophotonic devices and cold atoms offers extremely-strong and pure light-matter interaction schemes, which may have profound impact on quantum information science. In this context, a long-standing obstacle is to achieve strong interaction between single atoms and single photons, while at the same time trap atoms in vacuum at large separation distances from dielectric surfaces. In this work, we study new waveguide geometries that challenge these conflicting objectives. The designed photonic crystal waveguide is expected to offer a good compromise, which additionally allows for easy manipulation of atomic clouds around the structure, while being tolerant to fabrication imperfections.
We perform phase-sensitive near-field scanning optical microscopy on photonic-crystal waveguides. The observed intricate field patterns are analyzed by spatial Fourier transformations, revealing several guided TE- and TM-like modes. Using the reconstruction algorithm proposed by Ha, et al. (Opt. Lett. 34 (2009)), we decompose the measured two-dimensional field pattern in a superposition of propagating Bloch modes. This opens new possibilities to study specific modes in near-field measurements. We apply the method to study the transverse behavior of a guided TE-like mode, where the mode extends deeper in the surrounding photonic crystal when the band edge is approached.
Frequency combs spanning over an octave have been successfully demonstrated in Kerr nonlinear microresonators on-chip. These micro-combs rely on both engineered dispersion, to enable generation of frequency components across the octave, and on engineered coupling, to efficiently extract the generated light into an access waveguide while maintaining a close to critically-coupled pump. The latter is challenging as the spatial overlap between the access waveguide and the ring modes decays with frequency. This leads to strong coupling variation across the octave, with poor extraction at short wavelengths. Here, we investigate how a waveguide wrapped around a portion of the resonator, in a pulley scheme, can improve extraction of octave-spanning microcombs, in particular at short wavelengths. We use coupled mode theory to predict the performance of the pulley couplers, and demonstrate good agreement with experimental measurements. Using an optimal pulley coupling design, we demonstrate a 20~dB improvement in extraction at short wavelengths compared to straight waveguide coupling.