CAREER: Quadratically Nonlinear Micro-Resonators: Enabling Next Generation Photonic Devices and Systems

非技术描述：这个项目的灵感来自于电子在我们现代生活中的不可估量的影响是如何植根于一种可扩展和集成形式的非线性设备的开发，即硅基晶体管。将具有强二次非线性的谐振器引入光子器件，可以为许多应用开发破坏性技术。这一点从50多年的桌面非线性光学中可见一斑，在这些光学系统中，已经展示了一系列具有非凡性能的光学系统，并将其用于从传感到计算的各种应用。该项目致力于将这些功能的深度和广度带到微芯片规模的集成光子学中，并为各种现实应用提供可扩展的解决方案。该项目的具体实验可以通过开发理想的紧凑型光谱源，为我们最艰巨的分子传感挑战带来前所未有的解决方案。它们还可以为非传统计算提供一条可扩展的路径，以解决各种学科中一些最困难的计算问题。通过该项目开发的知识将适用于从计量学到量子信息处理和光通信的其他应用。参与该项目的学生将接受进行多学科研究的教育，PI将把通过该项目开发的材料纳入一门关于非线性光学前沿的课程。该团队将参加针对K-12学生的外展活动，这些学生中有大量未被充分代表的少数民族。技术描述：具有强二次非线性的光学谐振器已被证明提供了对传感和信息处理应用至关重要的广泛功能。然而，尽管它们在桌面系统中表现出色，但它们的占地面积、功耗和成本对于许多实际应用来说都是令人望而却步的。具有二次非线性的纳米级光子平台的最新发展，例如在铌酸锂中，使人们能够进入一种未被探索的非线性光子学体系，有望克服这些挑战。这一机制与显著的非线性、低损耗和色散工程的潜力相关。该项目利用这些功能引入了一系列关于二次非线性微谐振器的理论和实验研究，旨在(I)促进我们对这一新的非线性光子学机制的理解，(Ii)利用这个基于微芯片的平台为开发光子器件和系统中的新功能奠定基础，以及(Iii)展示芯片上非线性光学系统的概念验证实验。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Nontechnical Description:This project is inspired by how the immeasurable impact of electronics in our modern life is rooted in the development of a nonlinear device in a scalable and integrated form, i.e. the silicon-based transistor. Introducing resonators with strong quadratic nonlinearities to photonic devices can enable development of disruptive technologies for numerous applications. This is evident from more than 50 years of table-top nonlinear optics, over which a wide range of optical systems with extraordinary performance has been demonstrated and used for applications ranging from sensing to computing. This project is focused on bringing the depth and breadth of such functionalities to the micro-chip-scale integrated photonics, and enabling scalable solutions for a variety of real-life applications. The specific experiments of the project can lead to unprecedented solutions for our most daunting molecular sensing challenges through development of ideal compact sources for spectroscopy. They can also enable a scalable path for unconventional computing for some of our hardest computational problems in a variety of disciplines. The developed knowledge through this project will be applicable to other applications ranging from metrology to quantum information processing and optical communications. Students working on the project will get educated on conducting multi-disciplinary research, and the PI will incorporate the materials developed through this project in a course on frontiers of nonlinear optics. The team will participate in outreach activities targeting k-12 students with a large population of underrepresented minorities.Technical DEscription:Optical resonators with strong quadratic nonlinearities are proven to provide a broad range of functionalities that are essential for sensing and information processing applications. However, despite their outstanding performance in table-top systems, their footprint, power consumption, and cost have been prohibitive for many real-life applications. Recent development of nanoscale photonic platforms with quadratic nonlinearities, for instance in lithium niobate, has enabled access to an unexplored regime of nonlinear photonics which promises overcoming these challenges. This regime is associated with significantly large nonlinearities, low losses, and potential for dispersion engineering. This project leverages these features to introduce a disruptive line of theoretical and experimental research on quadratically-nonlinear microresonators, and aims to (i) advance our understanding of this new regime of nonlinear photonics, (ii) utilize this micro-chip-based platform to lay the foundation for development of a new class of functionalities in photonic devices and systems, and (iii) demonstrate proof-of-concept experiments for on-chip nonlinear optical systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.