EAGER: Coherent Terahertz Generation in Silica Micro-Resonators

我们提出设计，制造和实验证明了一种新型的太赫兹发射器，利用，第一次，回音壁增强太赫兹参量振荡器。这些微米级回音壁模式谐振器提供的极高谐振品质因数不仅为光泵提供了前所未有的腔增强因子，而且还为产生的THz波提供了前所未有的腔增强因子。我们的初步计算表明，这种增强可以转换太赫兹源，允许相干（10 GHz带宽），线性极化，频率可调太赫兹发射100倍的功率效率相比，国家的最先进的。智力的优点：拟议的工作提出了一个全新的角度对潜在的使用耳语厨房模式谐振器，从根本上提高现有的太赫兹源的性能。回音壁增强使我们在过去成为第一个通过实验证明（1）微谐振器中的三次谐波，（2）微谐振器中的布里渊散射，以及（3）辐射压力引起的机械振动的人。利用这一经验，我们将探索使用类似的回音壁增强，以有利于光到太赫兹转换效率的二氧化硅微谐振器。理论研究提供了一个深入了解的基本转换效率的限制回音壁增强太赫兹参量振荡器。他们还提供了一个有价值的洞察太赫兹回音壁增强的物理要求。此外，实验工作为开发合适的二氧化硅微谐振器太赫兹发射器的实际限制和解决方案提供了直观的见解。更广泛的影响：拟议研究的成果将使高性能的医学成像，生物传感，安全检查和化学识别系统成为可能，这些系统目前受到现有太赫兹源低输出功率的限制。将建立一个特殊的培训计划，以吸收从事这种跨学科研究的研究生，将为研究活动招聘本科生和暑期实习生，将特别优先招聘有才华的女本科生和研究生候选人以及代表性不足群体的成员。我们的博士生已经在教授来自代表性不足人口的学生;我们打算通过一系列实验将太赫兹研究融入到这个学校活动中，以吸引这些学生在这个3年项目结束时申请大学，那时孩子们将18岁。我们将发展新的研究生课程和跨学科研讨会，并将新的教学单元纳入本科课程，通过易于浏览的网页向公众发布我们的最新研究成果和教育教程，每两年举办一次研讨会和开放参观，并为高中学生安排科学演示

Proposal summaryWe propose to design, fabricate, and experimentally demonstrate a new type of THz emitter by exploiting, for the first time, whispering-gallery enhancement in a THz parametric oscillator. The extremely high resonance quality factors offered by these micron-scale whispering-gallery mode resonators offer unprecedented cavity enhancement factors not only for the optical pump, but also for the generated THz wave. Our preliminary calculations show that such enhancement can transform THz sources to allow a coherent (10 GHz bandwidth), linearly polarized, frequency tunable THz emission with 100 times higher power efficiencies compared to the state-of-the art.Intellectual merit:The proposed work presents an entirely new perspective on the potential use of whispering-galley mode resonators to radically improve the performance of existing terahertz sources. Whispering-gallery enhancement allowed us in the past to be the first to experimentally demonstrate (1) Third-harmonic in a micro-resonator, (2) Brillouin scattering in a micro-resonator, and (3) mechanical vibration by radiation pressure. Using this experience we will explore the use of similar whispering-gallery enhancement to benefit optical-to-THz conversion efficiency in a silica micro-resonator. Theoretical investigations provide a deep understanding of fundamental conversion efficiency limitations of whispering-gallery enhanced THz parametric oscillators. They also offer a valuable insight to physical requirements for THz whispering gallery enhancement. Additionally, the experimental efforts provide an intuitive insight to practical constraints and solutions to develop proper silica micro-resonator THz emitters.Broader Impact:The outcome of the proposed research will enable high-performance medical imaging, biological sensing, security screening and chemical identification systems which are currently limited by the low output power of the existing terahertz sources.Integration of education with research activities:A special training program will be constructed to assimilate graduate students working on this type of interdisciplinary research, undergraduate students and summer interns will be recruited for the research activities, special priority will be given to recruitment of talented women undergraduate and graduate candidates and the members of underrepresented groups. Our PhD students is already teaching pupils from underrepresented population; we intend to integrate The THz research into this school activity via a series of experiment in order to attract this students to apply to university at the end of this 3 year project when the children will be 18. New graduate courses and interdisciplinary seminars will be developed and new teaching modules will be included in undergraduate courses, an update on our research results and educational tutorials will be disseminated to the public via easy-to-navigate web pages, bi-annual seminars and open house visits and scientific demos will be arranged for high school students