Optical Ring Cavity Research Articles

Development and Field Deployment of a ppb-Level SO2/NO2 Dual-Gas Sensor System for Agricultural Early Fire Identification.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are chemical indicators of crop straw combustion as well as significant atmospheric pollutants. It is challenging to promptly detect natural "wildfires" during agricultural production, which often lead to uncontrollable and substantial economic losses. Moreover, both "wildfires" and artificial "straw burning" practices pose severe threats to the ecological environment and human health. Consequently, developing sensors capable of rapid and high-precision quantitative analysis of SO2/NO2 is essential and urgent for detecting early fires in agricultural activities. Here, we demonstrate an incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS) sensing system utilizing a 366 nm ultraviolet light emitting diode, designed for real-time, high-precision monitoring of SO2 and NO2 and is used for early fire detection validation. The optical resonant cavity is constructed within a 60 mm cage system mechanical structure, achieving a maximum optical path length of nearly 2 km with a length of ∼460 mm. The output light carrying information about the species and concentration of the analyte molecules is coupled into the miniaturized grating spectrometer via a fiber, and continuous spectral fitting and concentration inversion are performed on the computer. We propose a spectral analysis and concentration inversion model based on an improved particle swarm optimization-support vector machine (IPSO-SVM) algorithm. By discrimination of the absorption spectral characteristics of SO2/NO2, we achieve superior prediction accuracy. Experimental results indicate that the detection limits of SO2 and NO2 under the optimized averaging time are 77.5 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) and 0.037 ppbv, respectively. The field deployment of the sensor in scenarios such as continuous outdoor air pollution monitoring, in situ combustion feature identification, and early fire mobile detection has demonstrated the superior reliability and sensitivity of this sensor system.

Microfluidic SERS Biosensor based on Au-Semicoated Photonic Crystals for Melanoma Diagnosis

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) shows great promise for early diagnosis due to its high specificity and rapid detection capabilities. However, its application is often hindered by substrate instability and insufficient interaction between the substrate and incident light. To address these challenges, a photonic-plasmonic strategy is often employed to enhance sensing performance but it is generally limited by the low efficiency of plasmonic metal and optical cavity resonances. In this study, we significantly improved resonance efficiency by optimizing the photonic crystal configuration and designing Au-semicoated polystyrene nanospheres. These modifications maximized light capture and resonance efficiency, resulting in a 790-fold enhancement of the Raman signal with a relative standard deviation of only 4.58%. This approach was further developed into microfluidic biosensors for melanoma diagnosis, achieving a 2-3 order-of-magnitude improvement over comparable SERS biosensors. We believe this technology has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of early diagnosis and clinical medical analysis.

Strain-concentration for fast, compact photonic modulation and non-volatile memory

A critical figure of merit (FoM) for electro-optic (EO) modulators is the transmission change per voltage, dT/dV. Conventional approaches in wave-guided modulators maximize dT/dV via a high EO coefficient or longer light-material interaction lengths but are ultimately limited by material losses and nonlinearities. Optical and RF resonances improve dT/dV at the cost of spectral non-uniformity, especially for high-Q optical cavity resonances. Here, we introduce an EO modulator based on piezo-strain-concentration of a photonic crystal cavity to address both trade-offs: (i) it eliminates the trade-off between dT/dV and waveguide loss—i.e., enhancement of the resonance tuning efficiency dv c /dV for the fixed EO coefficient, waveguide length, and cavity Q—and (ii) at high DC strains it exhibits a non-volatile (NV) cavity tuning Δvc,NV for passive memory and programming of multiple devices into resonance despite fabrication variations. The device is fabricated on a scalable silicon nitride-on-aluminum nitride platform. We measure dv c /dV=177±1MHz/V, corresponding to Δv c =40±0.32GHz for a voltage spanning ±120V with an energy consumption of δU/Δv c =0.17nW/GHz. The modulation bandwidth is flat up to ωBW,3dB/2π=3.2±0.07MHz for broadband DC-AC and 142±17MHz for resonant operation near a 2.8 GHz mechanical resonance. Optical extinction up to 25 dB is obtained via Fano-type interference. Strain-induced beam-buckling modes are programmable under a “read-write” protocol with a continuous, repeatable tuning range of 5±0.25GHz, allowing for storage and retrieval, which we quantify with mutual information of 2.4 bits and a maximum non-volatile excursion of 8 GHz. Using a full piezo-optical finite-element-model (FEM) we identify key design principles for optimizing strain-based modulators and chart a path towards achieving performance comparable to lithium niobate-based modulators and the study of high strain physics on-chip.

Research on underwater acoustic detection technology based on optical waveguide resonator cavity

PurposeIn acoustic detection technology, optical microcavities offer higher detection bandwidth and sensitivity than traditional acoustic sensors. However, research on acoustic detection technologies involving optical microcavities has not yet been reported. Therefore, this paper aims to design and construct an underwater acoustic detection system based on optical microcavities and study its acoustic detection technology to improve its performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on the principles of optical microcavity acoustic sensors, a signal-detection circuit was designed to form a detection system in conjunction with a laser, an optical waveguide resonator and an oscilloscope. This circuit consists of two modules: a photodetection module and a filter amplification module.FindingsThe photodetection module features a baseline noise of −106.499 dBm and can detect device spectral line depths of up to 2410 mV. The gain stability of the filter amplification module was 58 dB ± 1 dB with a noise gain of −107.626 dBm. This design allows the acoustic detection system to detect signals with high sensitivity within the 10 Hz−1.2 MHz frequency band, achieving a maximum sensitivity of −126 dB re 1 V/µPa at 800 Hz and a minimum detectable pressure (MDP) of 0.37 mPa/Hz1/2, corresponding to a noise equivalent pressure (NEP) of 51.36 dB re 1 V/µPa.Originality/valueThis study designs and constructs a broadband underwater acoustic detection system specifically for optical waveguide resonators based on the sensing principles of silicon dioxide optical waveguide resonators. Experiments demonstrated that the signal detection module improves the sensitivity of underwater acoustic detection based on optical waveguides.

Advancements in Optical Resonator Stability: Principles, Technologies, and Applications

This paper provides an overview of the study of optical resonant cavity stability, focusing on the relevant principles, key technological advances, and applications of optical resonant cavities in a variety of high-precision measurement techniques and modern science and technology. Firstly, the vibration characteristics, thermal noise, and temperature characteristics of the reference cavity are presented. Subsequently, the report extensively discusses the advances in key technologies such as mechanical vibration isolation, thermal noise control, and resistance to temperature fluctuations. These advances not only contribute to the development of theory but also provide innovative solutions for practical applications. Typical applications of optical cavities in areas such as laser gyroscopes, high-precision measurements, and gravitational wave detection are also discussed. Future research directions are envisioned, emphasising the importance of novel material applications, advanced vibration isolation technologies, intelligent temperature control systems, multifunctional integrated optical resonator design, and deepening theoretical models and numerical simulations.

Optical resonant cavities carving pathways in tunable wavelength sensitive visible-NIR organic photodetectors

Enhancing the photodetection capabilities of organic photodetectors (OPDs) is crucial for advancing applications in medical monitoring, optical communications, image sensing, and robotics, where a strong, focused peak response at a specific designed wavelength is essential for improving sensitivity, wavelength selectivity, and resolution in imaging systems. By controlled integration of ZnO layers within PBDBT:BTP-4F-based OPDs to form a Fabry-Pérot optical cavity, we developed a cost-effective approach to fabricating highly sensitive OPDs by utilizing PBDBT:BTP-4F organic bulk heterojunctions, and extended its detection wavelengths into the near-infrared (NIR) range. Our design integrates a single silver (Ag) layer that significantly enhances peak detection at a wavelength of 830 ​nm, resulting in a remarkably narrow full-width at half maximum (FWHM) wavelength of 30 ​nm and yielding a photoresponse ten times greater than that of non-resonant devices. Furthermore, by varying the thickness of the ZnO layer from 77 ​nm to 620 ​nm, we achieve high spectral tunability, allowing fine adjustments of the resonant peak across a spectrum ranging from ultraviolet (UV) and visible to NIR wavelengths. This sensitive photodetector is also well-suited for applications in photoplethysmography (PPG), effectively detecting pulse signals in the NIR spectrum which has significant potential in medical diagnostics. This work advances the integration of cost-effective, wavelength-selective spectroscopic visible-NIR OPDs, paving the way for the next generation of sensitive photodetectors.

Line intensities of CO near 1560 nm measured with absorption and dispersion spectroscopy

Abstract High-precision line intensities are of great value in various applications, such as greenhouse gas metrology, planetary atmospheric analysis, and trace gas detection. 
Here we report simultaneous measurements of cavity-enhanced absorption and dispersion spectroscopy of the prototype molecule $^{12}$C$^{16}$O using the same optical resonant cavity. Nine lines were measured in the R branch of the $v=3-0$ band. The absorption and dispersion spectra were fitted separately with speed-dependent Voigt profiles, and the line intensities obtained by the two methods agree within the experimental uncertainty of about 1\textperthousand. 
The results demonstrate the feasibility of SI-traceable molecular density measurements based on laser spectroscopy.

Phonon pumping by modulating the ultrastrong vacuum

The vacuum (i.e., the ground state) of a system in ultrastrong light-matter coupling contains particles that cannot be emitted without any dynamical perturbation and is thus called virtual. We propose a protocol for inducing and observing real mechanical excitations of a mirror enabled by the virtual photons in the ground state of a tripartite system, where a resonant optical cavity is ultrastrongly coupled to a two-level system (qubit) and, at the same time, optomechanically coupled to a mechanical resonator. Real phonons are coherently emitted when the frequency of the two-level system is modulated at a frequency comparable to that of the mechanical resonator and, therefore much lower than the optical frequency. We demonstrate that this hybrid effect is a direct consequence of the virtual photon population in the ground state. Within a classical physics analogy, attaching a weight to a spring only changes its resting position, whereas dynamically modulating the weight makes the system oscillate. In our case, however, the weight is the vacuum itself. We propose and accurately characterize a hybrid superconducting-optomechanical setup based on available state-of-the-art technology, where this effect can be experimentally observed.

Cavity-Induced Optical Nonreciprocity Based on Degenerate Two-Level Atoms.

We developed and experimentally realized a scheme of optical nonreciprocity (ONR) by using degenerate two-level atoms embedded in an optical ring cavity. For the degenerate transition Fg = 4 ↔ Fe = 3, we first studied the cavity-transmission property in different coupling field configurations and verified that under the strong-coupling regime, the single-dark-state peak formed by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) showed ONR. The stable ground-state Zeeman coherence for Λ-chains involved in the degenerate two-level system was found to be important in the formation of intracavity EIT. However, different from the three-level atom-cavity system, in the degenerate two-level system, the ONR effect based on intracavity EIT occurred only at a low probe intensity, because the cavity-atom coupling strength was weakened in the counter-propagating probe and coupling field configuration. Furthermore, ONR transmission with a high contrast and linewidth-narrowing was experimentally demonstrated.

Improving metrology with quantum scrambling in a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to a cavity.

Spinor Bose-Einstein condensate is an ideal candidate for implementing the many-body entanglement, quantum measurement and quantum information processing owing to its inherent spin-mixing dynamics. Here we present a system of an 87Rb atomic spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to an optical ring cavity, in which cavity-mediated nonlinear interactions give rise to saddle points in the semiclassical phase space, providing a general mechanism for exponential fast scrambling and metrological gain augment. We theoretically study metrological gain and fidelity out-of-time-ordered correlator based on time-reversal protocols and demonstrate that exponential rapid scrambling dynamics can enhance quantum metrology. In addition, we use the out-of-time-ordered correlator to probe dynamical phase transitions. This work is useful to understand the intrinsic relation between the concepts from different subfields of quantum science.

Near-field optomechanical transduction enhanced by Raman gain.

Raman-gain-enhanced near-field optomechanical transduction between a movable optical cavity and SiN-membrane resonator is demonstrated. The Raman gain compensates for the intrinsic loss of the cavity and amplifies the optomechanical transduction, through which the membrane vibration is sensed using a high-Q whispering-gallery-mode optical cavity evanescently. The optical Q of the cavity resonance is improved with respect to the optical pump power, which results in an increase in the optomechanically transduced vibration signals of the mechanical resonator. Our near-field optomechanical coupling approach with optical gain realizes highly sensitive displacement measurement in nano- and micro-mechanical resonators consisting of arbitrary materials and structures.

Highly sensitive and label-free protein immunoassay-based biosensor comprising infrared metamaterial absorber inducing strong coupling

A mid-infrared label-free immunoassay-based biosensor is an effective device to help identify and quantify biomolecules. This biosensor employs a surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy, which is a highly potent sensing technique for detecting minute quantities of analytes. In this study, a biosensor was constructed using a metamaterial absorber, which facilitated strong coupling effects. For maximum coupling effect, it is necessary to enhance the near-field intensity and the spatial and spectral overlap between the optical cavity resonance and the vibrational mode of the analyte. Due to significant peak splitting, conventional baseline correction methods fail to adequately analyze such a coupling system. Therefore, we employed a coupled harmonic oscillation model to analyze the spectral distortion resulting from the peak splitting induced by the strong coupling effect. The proposed biosensor with a thrombin-binding aptamer-based immunoassay could achieve a limit of detection of 267.4 pM, paving the way for more efficient protein detection in clinical practice.

Optical-Cavity-Incorporated Colorful All-Solid-State Electrochromic Devices for Dual Anti-Counterfeiting.

The fusion of electrochromic technology with optical resonant cavities presents an intriguing innovation in the electrochromic field. However, this fusion is mainly achieved in liquid electrolyte-based or sol-gel electrolyte-based electrochromic devices, but not in all-solid-state electrochromic devices, which have broader industrial applications. Here, a new all-solid-state electrochromic device is demonstrated with a metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) resonant cavity, which can achieve strong thin-film interference effects through resonance, enabling the device to achieve unique structural colors that have rarely appeared in reported all-solid-state electrochromic devices, such as yellow green, purple, and light red. The color gamut of the device can be further expanded due to the adjustable optical constants of the electrochromic layer. What is more, this device exhibits remarkable cycling stability (maintaining 84% modulation capability after 7200 cycles), rapid switching time (coloration in 2.6 s and bleaching in 2.8 s), and excellent optical memory effect (only increasing by 13.8% after almost 36 000 s). In addition, this exquisite structural design has dual-responsive anti-counterfeiting effects based on voltage and angle, further demonstrating the powerful color modulation capability of this device.

Non-reciprocity in photonic crystal due to parity time symmetric defect state

In this article, defect state of photonic crystal regarding parity time known as PT-symmetric is explored thoroughly. For this purpose, transfer matrix technique in setting Bloch theorem is employed to characterize the dispersion relation regarding PT-symmetric defect state. The study uncovers the norteworthy wave phenomenon entitle “non-reciprocity” is exhibited. Moreover, an increasing the in-plane component of wavevector contributes two or more branches in the short wavelength boundary of the stop-band which is not observed in conventional structures. The reflectance of structure is conducted across the optical regime leads to minimum point that aligns with the wavelength of the eigen mode for wavevector value (kx = 0). These findings of research may have significant applications in various areas of photonics and optics likes filters, modern optical photonic cavity resonators and thermo-photovoltaic devices etc.

Nonlinear dynamics of cavity optomechanical-thermal systems.

Cavity optomechanics is concerned with the interaction between optical cavities and mechanical resonators. Here, we present systematic research on the dynamic behaviors of cavity optomechanical systems incorporating the influence of thermal nonlinearity. A dimensionless theoretical model was established to describe the system and numerical simulations were performed to study the dynamic behaviors. We theoretically identify the staircase effect, which can abruptly alter the system parameters when adiabatically sweeping the pump laser frequency across the optical cavity resonance and driving the mechanical resonator into oscillation. Moreover, we found bistability effects in several detuning intervals when sweeping the laser forward and backward. Both effects are analyzed theoretically and the roots lie in the thermal instability between averaged cavity energy and laser detuning. Our study shows the dynamic behaviors in an optomechanical-thermal system and provides guidance in leveraging the systems for applications in optical frequency comb, phonon laser, etc.

Swing-up dynamics in quantum emitter cavity systems: Near ideal single photons and entangled photon pairs

In the SUPER scheme (Swing-UP of the quantum EmitteR population), excitation of a quantum emitter is achieved with two off-resonant, red-detuned laser pulses. This allows the generation of high-quality single photons without the need of complex laser stray light suppression or careful spectral filtering. In the present work, we extend this promising method to quantum emitters, specifically semiconductor quantum dots, inside a resonant optical cavity. A significant advantage of the SUPER scheme is identified in that it eliminates re-excitation of the quantum emitter by suppressing photon emission during the excitation cycle. This, in turn, leads to almost ideal single-photon purity, overcoming a major factor typically limiting the quality of photons generated with quantum emitters in high-quality cavities. We further find that for cavity-mediated biexciton emission of degenerate photon pairs, the SUPER scheme leads to near-perfect biexciton initialization with very high values of polarization entanglement of emitted photon pairs. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Dynamic all-optical memory switching based on atomic optical bistable behavior in a three level Λ-type atomic system

We theoretically investigate the atomic optical bistability (AOB) in a three-level Λ-type atomic system confined in a unidirectional optical ring cavity. The role of the intensity or detuning of the control field on AOB is explored, and results show that absorption, dispersion, and nonlinearity can be modified significantly by the control field due to quantum coherence and interference in multilevel atomic systems. Thus, tuning the intensity or detuning of the control field can manipulate the switch-up and switch-down thresholds, as well as the area of the bistable hysteresis loop. According to the controllability of AOB, we design various schemes to realize dynamical all-optical switching between the high and low outputs of two bistable curves for a fixed cavity input. In addition, dynamical all-optical memory switching can be implemented by adding a pulse sequence for the intensity or detuning of the control field. For appropriate parameters, such as the cooperative coefficient, the extinction ratio of the switching can be improved dramatically.

Dynamics of self-hybridized exciton–polaritons in 2D halide perovskites

Excitons, bound electron–hole pairs, in two-dimensional hybrid organic inorganic perovskites (2D HOIPs) are capable of forming hybrid light-matter states known as exciton-polaritons (E–Ps) when the excitonic medium is confined in an optical cavity. In the case of 2D HOIPs, they can self-hybridize into E–Ps at specific thicknesses of the HOIP crystals that form a resonant optical cavity with the excitons. However, the fundamental properties of these self-hybridized E–Ps in 2D HOIPs, including their role in ultrafast energy and/or charge transfer at interfaces, remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that >0.5 µm thick 2D HOIP crystals on Au substrates are capable of supporting multiple-orders of self-hybridized E–P modes. These E–Ps have high Q factors (>100) and modulate the optical dispersion for the crystal to enhance sub-gap absorption and emission. Through varying excitation energy and ultrafast measurements, we also confirm energy transfer from higher energy E–Ps to lower energy E–Ps. Finally, we also demonstrate that E–Ps are capable of charge transport and transfer at interfaces. Our findings provide new insights into charge and energy transfer in E–Ps opening new opportunities towards their manipulation for polaritonic devices.

Simulating the Excited-State Dynamics of Polaritons with Ab Initio Multiple Spawning.

Over the past decade, there has been a growth of interest in polaritonic chemistry, where the formation of hybrid light-matter states (polaritons) can alter the course of photochemical reactions. These hybrid states are created by strong coupling between molecules and photons in resonant optical cavities and can even occur in the absence of light when the molecule is strongly coupled with the electromagnetic fluctuations of the vacuum field. We present a first-principles model to simulate nonadiabatic dynamics of such polaritonic states inside optical cavities by leveraging graphical processing units (GPUs). Our first implementation of this model is specialized for a single molecule coupled to a single-photon mode confined inside the optical cavity but with any number of excited states computed using complete active space configuration interaction (CASCI) and a Jaynes-Cummings-type Hamiltonian. Using this model, we have simulated the excited-state dynamics of a single salicylideneaniline (SA) molecule strongly coupled to a cavity photon with the ab initio multiple spawning (AIMS) method. We demonstrate how the branching ratios of the photodeactivation pathways for this molecule can be manipulated by coupling to the cavity. We also show how one can stop the photoreaction from happening inside of an optical cavity. Finally, we also investigate cavity-based control of the ordering of two excited states (one optically bright and the other optically dark) inside a cavity for a set of molecules, where the dark and bright states are close in energy.

Multi-channel quantum noise suppression and phase-sensitive modulation in a hybrid optical resonant cavity system

Multi-channel quantum noise suppression and phase-sensitive modulation in a hybrid optical resonant cavity system