CAREER: Harnessing long-lived acoustic waves for microwave and quantum photonic devices

声波是射频和光子技术的强大资源。例如，移动电话需要许多基于声波的精确设计的滤波器。除了滤波器等传统应用之外，最近新兴的量子技术也在受益于声波的任务中稳步增长。然而，一般来说，基于声波的光子器件的性能受到可以访问的声波质量的限制。这项研究的目的是通过设计更宽范围的声波的光学通道来显著提高这类设备的性能，其特性对应用特别有益。通过特殊设计的新型波导和几何形状来支持光学和声波，新的物理和应用性能机制成为可能。提出的研究有望提高光介导声波技术的相干性、分辨率和灵敏度，包括滤波器、激光器和量子信息设备。除了这些技术进步之外，这个项目还关注教育、多样性和社会方面的一些进步。除了研究生研究支持和指导外，该计划还将为研究技术课程提供高级材料。最后，它将扩大小型研究小组获得先进激光源的机会，并与罗切斯特大学卡恩斯领导和多样性中心合作，为第一代大学生、低收入和代表性不足的少数族裔背景的学生扩大本科研究机会。提出的研究目标是光学控制频率和耗散水平跨越几个数量级的声波，展示新的物理现象，并使微波和量子光子器件的重要性能进步。当前的光机械器件在相干性、分辨率、转导和灵敏度方面受到参与声波的有限寿命、频率和特性的限制。本研究的重点是为先进的光学机械设备提供频率和寿命灵敏声波的工程光学访问。最先进的光机械光谱学技术将用于光学探测和控制频率跨越几个数量级的引导和体声波，具有飞瓦灵敏度。该计划扩展了被称为布里渊相互作用的光力学相互作用，它使光束清洗、窄带和高功率激光器、微波光子滤波器、光延迟线、传感器和成像具有重要功能。通过该计划开发的新型相互作用有望提高这些设备的性能，并实现新的研究途径，例如量子信息科学。除了直接的研究影响外，该提案还侧重于将扩大获得光学科学先进资源和机会的活动。除了指导研究生和开发研究技能课程外，该项目还将与罗切斯特大学科恩斯领导与多样性中心合作，为小型研究小组扩大先进飞秒激光源的使用范围，并为来自第一代大学生、低收入家庭和代表性不足的少数族裔背景的学生扩大本科研究机会。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Acoustic waves are a powerful resource for radio frequency and photonic technologies. Cellular phones, for example, require a number of precisely designed filters based off of acoustic waves. In addition to traditional applications such as filters, recently emerging quantum technologies are also seeing a steady increase in tasks that benefit from acoustic waves. However, in general, photonic devices based off of acoustic waves are limited in performance by the qualities of the acoustic waves that can be accessed. The objective of this research is to significantly improve the performance of such devices by engineering optical access to a much wider range of acoustic waves, with properties that are particularly beneficial for applications. By the specific design of novel waveguides and geometries for supporting the optical and acoustic waves, new physics and application performance regimes become available. The proposed research is expected to improve the coherence, resolution, and sensitivity of optically mediated acoustic wave technologies including filters, lasers, and quantum information devices. Beyond these technical advances, this program focuses on several advances for education, diversity, and society. In addition to graduate student research support and mentorship, this program will enable advanced material for a research techniques course. Finally, it will broaden access to advanced laser sources for smaller research groups and expand undergraduate research opportunities for students from first-generation college, low-income, and underrepresented minority backgrounds, in collaboration with the University of Rochester’s Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity. Technical DescriptionThe objective of the proposed research is to optically control acoustic waves with frequencies and dissipation levels spanning several orders of magnitude, demonstrating new physical phenomena and enabling important performance advances for microwave and quantum photonic devices. Current optomechanical devices are limited in coherence, resolution, transduction, and sensitivity by the restricted lifetime, frequency, and character of the participating acoustic waves. This research focuses on engineering optical access to frequency and lifetime-agile acoustic waves for advanced optomechanical devices. State-of-the-art optomechanical spectroscopy techniques will be developed to optically probe and control guided and bulk acoustic waves with frequencies spanning several orders of magnitude, with femtowatt sensitivity. This program expands on optomechanical interactions known as Brillouin interactions, which enable important capabilities for beam cleaning, narrowband and high-power lasers, microwave photonic filters, optical delay lines, sensors, and imaging. The new types of interactions developed through this program are anticipated to enhance the performance of these devices as well as enable new research pathways, such as for quantum information science. Beyond direct research impact, this proposal focuses on activities that will broaden access to advanced resources and opportunities in the optical sciences. In addition to mentoring graduate students and developing a research skills course, this program will broaden access to advanced femtosecond laser sources for smaller research groups and expand undergraduate research opportunities for students from first-generation college, low-income, and underrepresented minority backgrounds, in collaboration with the University of Rochester’s Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity.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.