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，蜂窝电话需要大量基于声波的精确设计的滤波器。除了过滤器等传统应用外，最近新兴的量子技术也看到受益于声波的任务稳步增加。然而，一般而言，基于声波的光子器件在性能上受到可以访问的声波的质量的限制。这项研究的目标是通过设计光学接入更广泛的声波来显著提高此类设备的性能，这些特性对应用特别有利。通过对支持光波和声波的新型光波导和几何结构的具体设计，新的物理和应用性能机制成为可能。这项拟议的研究有望提高光学介质声波技术的相干性、分辨率和灵敏度，包括滤光器、激光和量子信息设备。除了这些技术进步，该计划还侧重于教育、多样性和社会的几个进步。除了研究生的研究支持和导师指导外，这个项目还将为研究技术课程提供高级材料。最后，它将与罗切斯特大学的卡恩斯领导力和多样性中心合作，为较小的研究小组拓宽获得先进激光光源的途径，并为来自第一代大学、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。技术说明拟议研究的目标是光学控制频率和耗散能级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设备的重要性能进步。目前的光机器件在相干性、分辨率、换能率和灵敏度等方面都受到参与声波的寿命、频率和特性的限制。这项研究的重点是为先进的光学机械设备设计光学频率和寿命捷变声波。将开发最先进的光学机械光谱学技术，以光学探测和控制频率跨越几个数量级、具有毫微瓦灵敏度的导波和体声波。该计划扩展了称为布里渊相互作用的光学机械相互作用，为光束清洁、窄带和高功率激光器、微波光子滤光器、光学延迟线、传感器和成像提供了重要功能。通过该计划开发的新型相互作用预计将增强这些设备的性能，并使新的研究途径成为可能，例如量子信息科学。除了直接的研究影响外，这项建议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的卡恩斯领导力和多样性中心合作，为较小的研究小组拓宽获得先进的飞秒激光光源的途径，并为来自第一代大学、低收入和代表性较低的少数族裔背景的学生扩大本科生的研究机会。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。

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.