Ultra-high-sensitivity Resonant Photonic Sensors through Brillouin Scattering Induced Transparency

该项目的目标是展示用于测量温度和压力的微型传感器，其灵敏度远远超过现有技术所能实现的。这项研究可以帮助开发更好的传感器技术，用于各种应用，包括信息存储、通信和医疗诊断。该项目为我校学生提供了多学科交叉训练的机会。所有学术水平。通过为高中女生开发和分发教育模块，这项工作的STEM影响将得到扩大。在UIUC举办的工程夏令营将招募本科生研究助理，通过夏季研究项目协助开发原型传感器。通过这笔赠款开展的教育活动将通过UIUC现有的外展机制广泛分发。光学微谐振器经常用于物理传感，包括测量质量、位移和极小的力。典型的传感方法依赖于监测由于施加的物理刺激而引起的光学共振频率的移位。这些测量的灵敏度基本上受限于材料固有的光学损耗。在本提案中，为了克服这些材料限制，将研究布里渊散射。PI最近证明，通过控制的布里渊散射可以产生强烈的光学色散效应。在微谐振器内由声波传播产生的激光。这种现象导致在邻近的光学模式中产生一个光谱窄的透明窗口。伴随这种透明度而来的是极快的相位响应梯度，可以用弱探针测量。激光。这种快速梯度对物理刺激引起的光学和声学共振频率的微小波动具有很高的灵敏度。PI将开发分析模型来描述物理刺激对光学色散特性的影响。这些模型将在多个谐振器平台上进行实验测试，包括二氧化硅微球和壳微毛细管谐振器。将进行额外的实验，以提高可变形光学谐振器的压力灵敏度，并将慢光用于物理传感器应用。

The goal of this project is to demonstrate micro-sensors for measurements of temperature and pressure, with sensitivities that far exceed what is achievable with existing technologies. This research can help to develop better sensor technologies for a variety of applications including information storage, communications, and medical diagnosis. This project provides many opportunities for the interdisciplinary training of students at 
all academic levels. The STEM impact of this work will be broadened through the development and distribution of educational modules for high-school girls at an 
engineering summer camp held at UIUC. Undergraduate research assistants will be recruited to assist in the development of the prototype sensors via summer research programs. The educational activities produced through this grant will be widely distributed through existing outreach mechanisms at UIUC.Optical microresonators are frequently used for physical sensing, including measuring mass, displacement, and extremely small forces. The typical sensing method relies upon monitoring the shift of the optical resonance frequencies due to applied physical stimuli. The sensitivity of these measurements is fundamentally limited by the optical losses intrinsic to the material. In this proposal, Brillouin scattering will be investigated in order to overcome these material limitations. The PI recently demonstrated that a strong optical dispersion effect can be generated through Brillouin scattering of a ?control? laser from a traveling acoustic wave within a micro-resonator. This phenomenon results in the creation of a spectrally-narrow transparency window in a neighboring optical mode. An extremely rapid gradient in phase-response accompanies this transparency, and can be measured with a weak ?probe? laser. This rapid gradient provides high sensitivity to small fluctuations in optical and acoustic resonance frequencies due to physical stimuli. The PI will develop analytical models to describe the effects of physical stimuli on the optical dispersion characteristics. The models will be experimentally tested on multiple resonator platforms, including silica microspheres and shell microcapillary resonators. Additional experiments will be performed to enhance the pressure sensitivity of deformable optical resonators, and to use slow light for physical sensor applications.