EPSRC-SFI:Towards power efficient microresonator frequency combs

由成百上千个等间距窄共振线组成的光学频率梳在上世纪90年代就被证实了，他们的发现在2005年获得了诺贝尔奖。在过去的十年中，通过微谐振器技术的发展和对微谐振器频率梳的观察和开发，这一研究领域取得了显著的进展。对于光来说，微谐振器就像微型跑道，光子绕着圈快速运动。无限的路径长度和小的占地面积是片上变频的主要优点。微梳正在成为一种颠覆性的技术，可以在小尺寸和芯片级平台上实现精确的计量、光谱学、波形合成和信息的光学处理。许多引人注目的应用例子之一来自天文学研究，在那里，梳子被用来搜索系外行星。巴斯大学和都柏林圣三一学院提出的研究计划旨在开发具有更高效率和灵活重复率的下一代微谐振器系统，以推动梳状源的未来应用。该提案跨越了英国EPSRC光学器件和子系统的研究领域；光-物质相互作用与光学现象；射频和微波器件；和非线性系统。这些领域和项目的具体研究任务有助于EPSRC的生产性、互联性和弹性国家成果。在爱尔兰，该项目与国家未来网络、通信和物联网优先领域保持一致，明确寻求开发新型光子设备，为未来十年的通信系统提供动力，不断提高能源效率。

Optical frequency combs consisting of hundreds and thousands of equally spaced narrow resonance lines have been demonstrated in the 1990s, and their discovery was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2005. In the past decade, this research field has witnessed outstanding progress through the development of microresonator technology and observation and exploitation of the microresonator frequency combs - microcombs. For light, microresonators act as miniature racetracks, with photons zipping around the circle in loops. The infinite path length and a small footprint are the key advantages of the on-chip frequency conversion. Microcombs are emerging as a disruptive technology for realizing precision metrology, spectroscopy, waveform synthesis and optical processing of information realisable in the small footprint and chip-scale platforms. One of many striking application examples comes from astronomical research, where combs were used to search for exoplanets. The research programme proposed by the University of Bath and Trinity College Dublin aims to develop the next generation of the microresonator systems with enhanced efficiency and flexible repetition rates to drive future applications of comb sources. The proposal cuts across the UK EPSRC research areas of Optical Devices and Subsystems; Light-Matter Interaction and Optical Phenomena; RF & Microwave Devices; and Nonlinear Systems. These areas and specific research tasks of the project contribute to the EPSRC Productive, Connected, and Resilient Nation Outcomes. In Ireland, the project aligns well with the National Priority area Future Networks, Communications and Internet of Things that explicitly seeks to develop novel photonic devices to power the communications systems of the coming decade with ever improving energy efficiency.