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Showing papers on "Laser linewidth published in 2012"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a single-crystal silicon system that offers a fractional frequency instability of 1 × 10−16 at short timescales and supports a laser linewidth of less than 40 mHz at 1.5 µm is presented.
Abstract: Frequency stabilization in a high-finesse optical cavity is limited fundamentally by thermal-noise-induced cavity length fluctuations. Scientists have now developed a single-crystal silicon system that offers a fractional frequency instability of 1 × 10−16 at short timescales and supports a laser linewidth of less than 40 mHz at 1.5 µm.

597 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The zero-phonon transition rate of a nitrogen-vacancy center is enhanced by a factor of ∼70 by coupling to a photonic crystal resonator fabricated in monocrystalline diamond using standard semiconductor fabrication techniques.
Abstract: The zero-phonon transition rate of a nitrogen-vacancy center is enhanced by a factor of ∼70 by coupling to a photonic crystal resonator fabricated in monocrystalline diamond using standard semiconductor fabrication techniques. Photon correlation measurements on the spectrally filtered zero-phonon line show antibunching, a signature that the collected photoluminescence is emitted primarily by a single nitrogen-vacancy center. The linewidth of the coupled nitrogen-vacancy center and the spectral diffusion are characterized using high-resolution photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy.

425 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
02 Feb 2012-Nature
TL;DR: The generation of extreme-ultraviolet frequency combs, reaching wavelengths of 40 nanometres, is reported by coupling a high-power near-infrared frequency comb to a robust femtosecond enhancement cavity, and the absolute frequency of the argon transition has been determined by direct frequency comb spectroscopy.
Abstract: By coupling a high-power, high-repetition-rate near-infrared frequency comb to a femtosecond optical cavity, a frequency comb operating in the extreme-ultraviolet spectral range has been produced, by high harmonic generation, and provides high-resolution spectroscopy in this spectral region. Laser-based optical frequency combs, so called because they emit evenly spaced spectral lines, are used in precision spectroscopy and other applications requiring accurate measurements, such as atomic clocks. Efforts to extend this capability to shorter wavelengths in the extreme ultraviolet — which would open up exciting new applications, including searches for variation in fundamental constants — have lacked sufficient power for the purpose until now. Jun Ye and co-workers demonstrate a new approach, using a high-power, high-repetition pulsed infrared laser coupled into an optical cavity, to produce an improved extreme UV comb. In a first precision spectroscopy demonstration, they use direct frequency comb spectroscopy to determine argon and neon atomic transitions with ultra-high precision. The development of the optical frequency comb (a spectrum consisting of a series of evenly spaced lines) has revolutionized metrology and precision spectroscopy owing to its ability to provide a precise and direct link between microwave and optical frequencies1,2. A further advance in frequency comb technology is the generation of frequency combs in the extreme-ultraviolet spectral range by means of high-harmonic generation in a femtosecond enhancement cavity3,4. Until now, combs produced by this method have lacked sufficient power for applications, a drawback that has also hampered efforts to observe phase coherence of the high-repetition-rate pulse train produced by high-harmonic generation, which is an extremely nonlinear process. Here we report the generation of extreme-ultraviolet frequency combs, reaching wavelengths of 40 nanometres, by coupling a high-power near-infrared frequency comb5 to a robust femtosecond enhancement cavity. These combs are powerful enough for us to observe single-photon spectroscopy signals for both an argon transition at 82 nanometres and a neon transition at 63 nanometres, thus confirming the combs’ coherence in the extreme ultraviolet. The absolute frequency of the argon transition has been determined by direct frequency comb spectroscopy. The resolved ten-megahertz linewidth of the transition, which is limited by the temperature of the argon atoms, is unprecedented in this spectral region and places a stringent upper limit on the linewidth of individual comb teeth. Owing to the lack of continuous-wave lasers, extreme-ultraviolet frequency combs are at present the only promising route to extending ultrahigh-precision spectroscopy to the spectral region below 100 nanometres. At such wavelengths there is a wide range of applications, including the spectroscopy of electronic transitions in molecules6, experimental tests of bound-state and many-body quantum electrodynamics in singly ionized helium and neutral helium7,8,9, the development of next-generation ‘nuclear’ clocks10,11,12 and searches for variation of fundamental constants13 using the enhanced sensitivity of highly charged ions14.

417 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the double resonant (DR) Raman spectrum of graphene was calculated and the lines associated to both phonon-defect processes and two-phonons ones were determined.
Abstract: We calculate the double resonant (DR) Raman spectrum of graphene, and determine the lines associated to both phonon-defect processes, and two-phonons ones. Phonon and electronic dispersions reproduce calculations based on density functional theory corrected with GW. Electron-light, -phonon, and -defect scattering matrix elements and the electronic linewidth are explicitly calculated. Defect-induced processes are simulated by considering different kind of idealized defects. For an excitation energy of $\epsilon_L=2.4$ eV, the agreement with measurements is very good and calculations reproduce: the relative intensities among phonon-defect or among two-phonon lines; the measured small widths of the D, $D'$, 2D and $2D'$ lines; the line shapes; the presence of small intensity lines in the 1800, 2000 cm$^{-1}$ range. We determine how the spectra depend on the excitation energy, on the light polarization, on the electronic linewidth, on the kind of defects and on their concentration. According to the present findings, the intensity ratio between the $2D'$ and 2D lines can be used to determine experimentally the electronic linewidth. The intensity ratio between the $D$ and $D'$ lines depends on the kind of model defect, suggesting that this ratio could possibly be used to identify the kind of defects present in actual samples. Charged impurities outside the graphene plane provide an almost undetectable contribution to the Raman signal.

389 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
05 Apr 2012-Nature
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors demonstrate a Raman super-radiant laser source in which spontaneous synchronization of more than one million rubidium-87 atomic dipoles is continuously sustained by less than 0.2 photons on average inside the optical cavity.
Abstract: The spectral purity of an oscillator is central to many applications, such as detecting gravity waves, defining the second, ground-state cooling and quantum manipulation of nanomechanical objects, and quantum computation. Recent proposals suggest that laser oscillators which use very narrow optical transitions in atoms can be orders of magnitude more spectrally pure than present lasers. Lasers of this high spectral purity are predicted to operate deep in the 'bad-cavity', or superradiant, regime, where the bare atomic linewidth is much less than the cavity linewidth. Here we demonstrate a Raman superradiant laser source in which spontaneous synchronization of more than one million rubidium-87 atomic dipoles is continuously sustained by less than 0.2 photons on average inside the optical cavity. By operating at low intracavity photon number, we demonstrate isolation of the collective atomic dipole from the environment by a factor of more than ten thousand, as characterized by cavity frequency pulling measurements. The emitted light has a frequency linewidth, measured relative to the Raman dressing laser, that is less than that of single-particle decoherence linewidths and more than ten thousand times less than the quantum linewidth limit typically applied to 'good-cavity' optical lasers, for which the cavity linewidth is much less than the atomic linewidth. These results demonstrate several key predictions for future superradiant lasers, which could be used to improve the stability of passive atomic clocks and which may lead to new searches for physics beyond the standard model.

361 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Self-mixing interferometry (SMI) as discussed by the authors is a new configuration of interferometrics that does not require any optical part external to the laser chip and can be employed in a variety of measurements.
Abstract: In this review, self-mixing interferometry (SMI), a new configuration of interferometry, is discussed. SMI has practical advantages compared to standard interferometry, for example SMI does not require any optical part external to the laser chip and can be employed in a variety of measurements. Applications range from the traditional measurements related to optical pathlength – like displacement, small-amplitude vibrations, velocity – to sensing of weak optical echoes – for return loss and isolation factor measurements, CD readout and scroll sensing – and also, a special feature because of the interaction with the medium, measurements of physical parameters, like the laser linewidth, coherence length, and the alfa factor. Because it is also a coherent detection scheme, the SMI works close to the quantum limit of the received field, typically -90 dBm, so that minimum detectable amplitudes of 100 pm/ √Hz are currently achieved upon operation on diffusive targets, whereas a corner cube allows half-wavelength counting mode – or 0.5 μm resolution – on a dynamic range up to 2 m and more. With its compact setup, the SMI is easy to deploy in the field and can interface a variety of experiments – from MEMS testing to rotating machines vibration testing to pickup of biological motility. The illustration shows a double-channel, differential SMI incorporated in a thermomechanical test equipment to trace the mechanical hysteresis cycle of the beads of a motor-engine brake.

311 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Growth of nm-thick yttrium iron garnet films and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidth properties in the films were reported in this article, where films were grown on gadolinium gallium garnet substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD).
Abstract: Growth of nm-thick yttrium iron garnet films and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidth properties in the films are reported. The films were grown on gadolinium gallium garnet substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Films in the 5–35 nm thickness range showed a (111) orientation and a surface roughness between 0.1 and 0.3 nm. The 10 nm films showed a 10 GHz FMR linewidth of about 6 Oe and a damping constant of 3.2 × 10−4. The FMR linewidth increases with both the surface roughness and the surface Fe deficiency. Thicker films exhibit a smaller FMR linewidth and a lower damping constant.

261 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work operates in the small Rabi frequency limit of resonance fluorescence--the Heitler regime--to generate subnatural linewidth and high-coherence quantum light from a single quantum dot.
Abstract: The observation of quantum-dot resonance fluorescence enabled a new solid-state approach to generating single photons with a bandwidth approaching the natural linewidth of a quantum-dot transition. Here, we operate in the small Rabi frequency limit of resonance fluorescence---the Heitler regime---to generate subnatural linewidth and high-coherence quantum light from a single quantum dot. The measured single-photon coherence is 30 times longer than the lifetime of the quantum-dot transition, and the single photons exhibit a linewidth which is inherited from the excitation laser. In contrast, intensity-correlation measurements reveal that this photon source maintains a high degree of antibunching behavior on the order of the transition lifetime with vanishing two-photon scattering probability. Generating decoherence-free phase-locked single photons from multiple quantum systems will be feasible with our approach.

258 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The regime of single-photon strong coupling is reached when the optical shift induced by a single phonon becomes comparable to the cavity linewidth, and a setup in this regime comprising two optical modes and one mechanical mode is considered.
Abstract: In cavity optomechanics, nanomechanical motion couples to a localized optical mode. The regime of single-photon strong coupling is reached when the optical shift induced by a single phonon becomes comparable to the cavity linewidth. We consider a setup in this regime comprising two optical modes and one mechanical mode. For mechanical frequencies nearly resonant to the optical level splitting, we find the photon-phonon and the photon-photon interactions to be significantly enhanced. In addition to dispersive phonon detection in a novel regime, this offers the prospect of optomechanical photon measurement. We study these quantum nondemolition detection processes using both analytical and numerical approaches.

232 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A study of laser mode pulling by the Brillouin optical gain spectrum is presented, and high-order, cascaded operation of the SBL is demonstrated, and potential application of these devices to microwave sources and phase-coherent communication is discussed.
Abstract: Recently, a high efficiency, narrow-linewidth, chip-based stimulated Brillouin laser (SBL) was demonstrated using an ultra-high-Q, silica-on-silicon resonator. In this work, this novel laser is more fully characterized. The Schawlow Townes linewidth formula for Brillouin laser operation is derived and compared to linewidth data, and the fitting is used to measure the mechanical thermal quanta contribution to the Brillouin laser linewidth. A study of laser mode pulling by the Brillouin optical gain spectrum is also presented, and high-order, cascaded operation of the SBL is demonstrated. Potential application of these devices to microwave sources and phase-coherent communication is discussed.

187 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provided experimental evidence of intrinsic linewidth approaching the quantum limit in a GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser emitting at 2.5 THz.
Abstract: Researchers provide experimental evidence of intrinsic linewidths approaching the quantum limit in a GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser emitting at 2.5 THz. Despite the expected dominant broadening effect induced by thermal photons, the measured intrinsic linewidth is 90 Hz — even narrower than that of a semiconductor laser working at significantly shorter wavelengths.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Stable, single-frequency output from single, as-fabricated GaN nanowire lasers operating far above lasing threshold are demonstrated and numerical simulations indicate that single-mode lasing arises from strong mode competition and narrow gain bandwidth.
Abstract: We demonstrate stable, single-frequency output from single, as-fabricated GaN nanowire lasers operating far above lasing threshold. Each laser is a linear, double-facet GaN nanowire functioning as gain medium and optical resonator, fabricated by a top-down technique that exploits a tunable dry etch plus anisotropic wet etch for precise control of the nanowire dimensions and high material gain. A single-mode linewidth of ~0.12 nm and >18 dB side-mode suppression ratio are measured. Numerical simulations indicate that single-mode lasing arises from strong mode competition and narrow gain bandwidth.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A novel mode locked ultrafast laser, based on an integrated high-Q microring resonator, exhibits stable operation of two slightly shifted spectral optical comb replicas, and generates a highly monochromatic radiofrequency modulation on a 200GHz output pulse train.
Abstract: We demonstrate a novel mode locked ultrafast laser, based on an integrated high-Q microring resonator. Our scheme exhibits stable operation of two slightly shifted spectral optical comb replicas. It generates a highly monochromatic radiofrequency modulation of 65.8MHz with a linewidth < 10kHz, on a 200GHz output pulse train.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Electrical tuning by the Stark effect of the excited-state structure of single nitrogen-vacancy centers located in bulk, ultrapure diamond should improve the entanglement success probability in quantum communications protocols.
Abstract: We report electrical tuning by the Stark effect of the excited-state structure of single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers located ≲ 100 nm from the diamond surface. The zero-phonon line (ZPL) emission frequency is controllably varied over a range of 300 GHz. Using high-resolution emission spectroscopy, we observe electrical tuning of the strengths of both cycling and spin-altering transitions. Under resonant excitation, we apply dynamic feedback to stabilize the ZPL frequency. The transition is locked over several minutes and drifts of the peak position on timescales ≳ 100 ms are reduced to a fraction of the single-scan linewidth, with standard deviation as low as 16 MHz (obtained for an NV in bulk, ultrapure diamond). These techniques should improve the entanglement success probability in quantum communications protocols.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the second-harmonic generation from split-ring-resonator square arrays is investigated in terms of a competition between dilution effects and linewidth or near-field changes due to interactions among the individual elements in the array.
Abstract: Optical experiments on second-harmonic generation from split-ring-resonator square arrays show a nonmonotonic dependence of the conversion efficiency on the lattice constant. This finding is interpreted in terms of a competition between dilution effects and linewidth or near-field changes due to interactions among the individual elements in the array.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The excitation power dependences of the PL peak energy and linewidth indicate that the emission process of the MQWs is dominated first by the Coulomb screening effect and then by the localized states filling at low temperature, and that the nonradiative centers are thermally activated in low excitation range at room temperature.
Abstract: Excitation power and temperature dependences of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra are studied in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The excitation power dependences of the PL peak energy and linewidth indicate that the emission process of the MQWs is dominated first by the Coulomb screening effect and then by the localized states filling at low temperature, and that the nonradiative centers are thermally activated in low excitation range at room temperature. The anomalous temperature dependences of the peak energy and linewidth are well explained by the localized carrier hopping and thermalization process, and by the exponentially increased density of states with energy in the band tail. Moreover, it is also found that internal quantum efficiency is related to the mechanism conversion from nonradiative to radiative mechanism, and up to the carriers escaping from localized states.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an individual Mollow sideband channel of the resonance fluorescence from an InGaAs quantum dot can act as an efficient single-photon source, and the central frequency of the bright and narrow sideband emission can be changed by laser detuning over a range spanning 15 times the emission linewidth.
Abstract: Researchers demonstrate that an individual Mollow sideband channel of the resonance fluorescence from an InGaAs quantum dot can act as an efficient single-photon source. The central frequency of the bright and narrow sideband emission can be changed by laser detuning over a range spanning 15 times the emission linewidth.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work demonstrates a continuous wave (CW) sub-wavelength metallic-cavity semiconductor laser with electrical injection at room temperature (RT) that shows the highest Q under lasing condition for RT CW operation of any sub-Wavelength Metallic-Cavity laser.
Abstract: Metallic-Cavity lasers or plasmonic nanolasers of sub-wavelength sizes have attracted great attentions in recent years, with the ultimate goal of achieving continuous wave (CW), room temperature (RT) operation under electrical injection. Despite great efforts, a conclusive and convincing demonstration of this goal has proven challenging. By overcoming several fabrication challenges imposed by the stringent requirement of such small scale devices, we were finally able to achieve this ultimate goal. Our metallic nanolaser with a cavity volume of 0.67{\lambda}3 ({\lambda}=1591 nm) shows a linewidth of 0.5 nm at RT, which corresponds to a Q-value of 3182 compared to 235 of the cavity Q, the highest Q under lasing condition for RT CW operation of any sub-wavelength laser. Such record performance provides convincing evidences of the feasibility of RT CW metallic nanolasers, thus opening a wide range of practical possibilities of novel nanophotonic devices based on metal-semiconductor structures.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Stable broad mid-IR frequency combs can be derived from commercially available near-IRfrequency combs without an extra stabilization mechanism with mid-infrared supercontinuum generation.
Abstract: We demonstrate mid-infrared (mid-IR) supercontinuum generation (SCG) with instantaneous bandwidth from 2.2 to 5 μm at 40 dB below the peak, covering the wavelength range desirable for molecular spectroscopy and numerous other applications. The SCG occurs in a tapered As2S3 fiber prepared by in-situ tapering and is pumped by femtosecond pulses from the subharmonic of a mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser. Interference with a narrow linewidth c.w. laser verifies that the coherence properties of the near-IR frequency comb have been preserved through these cascaded nonlinear processes. With this approach stable broad mid-IR frequency combs can be derived from commercially available near-IR frequency combs without an extra stabilization mechanism.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new technique for generation of programmable-pitch, wideband frequency combs with low phase noise using cavity-less, multistage mixer driven by two tunable continuous-wave pump seeds is demonstrated.
Abstract: We demonstrate new technique for generation of programmable-pitch, wideband frequency combs with low phase noise. The comb generation was achieved using cavity-less, multistage mixer driven by two tunable continuous-wave pump seeds. The approach relies on phase-correlated continuous-wave pumps in order to cancel spectral linewidth broadening inherent to parametric comb generation. Parametric combs with over 200-nm bandwidth were obtained and characterized with respect to phase noise scaling to demonstrate linewidth preservation over 100 generated tones.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The pulse-burst duration of a compact burst-mode Nd:YAG laser is extended by one order of magnitude compared to previous flashlamp-pumped designs by incorporating a fiber oscillator and diode-p pumped solid-state amplifiers.
Abstract: The pulse-burst duration of a compact burst-mode Nd:YAG laser is extended by one order of magnitude compared to previous flashlamp-pumped designs by incorporating a fiber oscillator and diode-pumped solid-state amplifiers. The laser has a linewidth of <2 GHz at 1064.3 nm with 150 mJ per individual pulse at 10 kHz. The performance of the system is evaluated by using the third-harmonic output at 354.8 nm for high-speed planar laser-induced fluorescence of formaldehyde in a lifted methane-air diffusion flame. A total of 100 and 200 sequential images of unsteady fluid-flame interactions are acquired at repetition rates of 10 kHz and 20 kHz, respectively.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors demonstrate mid-infrared supercontinuum generation (SCG) with instantaneous bandwidth from 2.2 to 5 µm at 40 dB below the peak, covering the wavelength range desirable for molecular spectroscopy and numerous other applications.
Abstract: We demonstrate mid-infrared (mid-IR) supercontinuum generation (SCG) with instantaneous bandwidth from 2.2 to 5 {\mu}m at 40 dB below the peak, covering the wavelength range desirable for molecular spectroscopy and numerous other applications. The SCG occurs in a tapered As2S3 fiber prepared by in-situ tapering and is pumped by femtosecond pulses from the subharmonic of a mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser. Interference with a narrow linewidth c.w. laser verifies that the coherence properties of the near-IR frequency comb have been preserved through these cascaded nonlinear processes. With this approach stable broad mid-IR frequency combs can be derived from commercially available near-IR frequency combs without an extra stabilization mechanism.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the temperature dependence of peak position and linewidth is analyzed considering the anharmonic decay of optical phonons and the material thermal expansion in Bi2Se3 and Sb2Te3-based devices in a wide temperature range.
Abstract: Inelastic light scattering spectra of Bi2Se3 and Sb2Te3 single crystals have been measured over the temperature range from 5 K to 300 K. The temperature dependence of dominant A1g2 phonons shows similar behavior in both materials. The temperature dependence of the peak position and linewidth is analyzed considering the anharmonic decay of optical phonons and the material thermal expansion. This work suggests that Raman spectroscopy can be used for thermometry in Bi2Se3- and Sb2Te3-based devices in a wide temperature range.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the spin wave propagation in a magnetron-sputtered CoFeB thin film is investigated and the intrinsic Gilbert damping parameter of about 0.007 at room temperature was obtained.
Abstract: Spin wave propagation in a magnetron-sputtered CoFeB thin film is investigated. We apply both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic fields. At room temperature, we find velocities of up to 25 and 3.5 km/s, respectively. These values are much larger compared to a thin permalloy film. Analyzing the resonance linewidth, we obtain an intrinsic Gilbert damping parameter of about 0.007 at room temperature. It increases to 0.023 at 5 K. CoFeB is a promising material for magnonic devices supporting fast propagating spin waves.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors derived a measure of rotation from a new characterization of the width of a neutral hydrogen line profile and derived distances with minimal systematics using the correlation between galaxy luminosities and rotation rates.
Abstract: In order to measure distances with minimal systematics using the correlation between galaxy luminosities and rotation rates it is necessary to adhere to a strict and tested recipe. We now derive a measure of rotation from a new characterization of the width of a neutral hydrogen line profile. Additionally, new photometry and zero-point calibration data are available. Particularly the introduction of a new linewidth parameter necessitates the reconstruction and absolute calibration of the luminosity-linewidth template. The slope of the new template is set by 267 galaxies in 13 clusters. The zero point is set by 36 galaxies with Cepheid or tip of the red giant branch distances. Tentatively, we determine H{sub 0} {approx} 75 km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}. Distances determined using the luminosity-linewidth calibration will contribute to the distance compendium Cosmicflows-2.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An optical frequency comb is developed using a mode-locked fiber ring laser with an intra-cavity waveguide electro-optic modulator controlling the optical length in the laser cavity using a simple ring configuration and a nonlinear polarization rotation mechanism.
Abstract: We have developed an optical frequency comb using a mode-locked fiber ring laser with an intra-cavity waveguide electro-optic modulator controlling the optical length in the laser cavity. The mode-locking is achieved with a simple ring configuration and a nonlinear polarization rotation mechanism. The beat note between the laser and a reference laser and the carrier envelope offset frequency of the comb were simultaneously phase locked with servo bandwidths of 1.3 MHz and 900 kHz, respectively. We observed an out-of-loop beat between two identical combs, and obtained a coherent δ-function peak with a signal to noise ratio of 70 dB/Hz.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: By fabricating high-Q silicon-nitride spiral resonators, frequency combs spanning over 200 nm with free spectral ranges (FSRs) of 80, 40, and 20 GHz are demonstrated using cascaded four-wave mixing.
Abstract: By fabricating high-Q silicon-nitride spiral resonators, we demonstrate frequency combs spanning over 200 nm with free spectral ranges (FSRs) of 80, 40, and 20 GHz using cascaded four-wave mixing. We characterize the RF beat note for the 20 GHz FSR comb, and the measured linewidth of 3.6 MHz is consistent with thermal fluctuations in the resonator due to amplitude noise of the pump source. These combs represent an important advance towards developing a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-based system capable of linking the optical and electronic regimes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: By varying the ratio between the linewidth and dispersion of a whispering gallery mode resonator the authors are able to control the number N of free spectral ranges separating the first generated comb sidebands from the pump.
Abstract: We demonstrate that by varying the ratio between the linewidth and dispersion of a whispering gallery mode resonator we are able to control the number N of free spectral ranges separating the first generated comb sidebands from the pump. We observed combs with N = 19 and N = 1. For the comb with N = 1 we have achieved a span of over 200 nm using a 0.4 mm MgF2 resonator pumped with 50 mW at 1560 nm. This pump power is a factor of 10 lower than previously reported for combs with comparable bandwidth.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two novel linewidth-tolerant, low-complexity feedforward carrier phase estimation algorithms are described for dual-polarization 16-ary quadrature-amplitude-modulation with coherent detection.
Abstract: Two novel linewidth-tolerant, low-complexity feedforward carrier phase estimation algorithms are described for dual-polarization 16-ary quadrature-amplitude-modulation with coherent detection. For both algorithms, the carrier phase is estimated in two stages. The first stage employs either a simplified quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) partitioning algorithm or the blind phase search (BPS) algorithm. The second stage employs a novel QPSK constellation transformation algorithm. The performance and linewidth tolerance of both algorithms are evaluated using experimental and simulation data, and the hardware complexity is assessed. For both proposed two-stage algorithms, the linewidth symbol duration product is 1.3 × 10-4 for a 1 dB penalty in optical signal-to-noise ratio at a bit error ratio of 10-3. This performance is comparable to a single-stage BPS algorithm with a large number of test phases, but with a reduction of the hardware complexity by factors of about 2.5-11.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an efficient high-power Ho:YAG laser directly in-band pumped by a recently developed GaSb-based laser diode stack at 1.9 µm is demonstrated.
Abstract: An efficient high-power Ho:YAG laser directly in-band pumped by a recently developed GaSb-based laser diode stack at 1.9 µm is demonstrated. At room tempera- ture a maximum continuous wave output power of 55 W at 2.122 µm and a slope efficiency of 62% with respect to the incident pump power were achieved. For narrow linewidth laser operation a volume Bragg grating was used as output coupler. In wavelength stabilized operation a maximum out- put power of 18 W at 2.096 µm and a slope efficiency of 30% were obtained. In this case the linewidth is reduced from 1.2 nm to below 0.1 nm. Also spectroscopic proper- ties of Ho:YAG crystals at room temperature are presented.