Modal coupling in traveling-wave resonators

High-Q traveling-wave-resonators can enter a regime in which even minute scattering amplitudes associated with either bulk or surface imperfections can drive the system into the so-called strong modal coupling regime. Resonators that enter this regime have their coupling properties radically altered and can mimic a narrowband reflector. We experimentally confirm recently predicted deviations from criticality in such strongly coupled systems. Observations of resonators that had Q>10^8 and modal coupling parameters as large as 30 were shown to reflect more than 94% of an incoming optical signal within a narrow bandwidth of 40 MHz

Demonstration of ultra-high-Q small mode volume toroid microcavities on a chip

Optical microcavities confine light spatially and temporally and find application in a wide range of fundamental and applied studies. In many areas, the microcavity figure of merit is not only determined by photon lifetime (or the equivalent quality-factor, Q), but also by simultaneous achievement of small mode volume V . Here we demonstrate ultra-high Q-factor small mode volume toroid microcavities on-a-chip, which exhibit a Q/V factor of more than $10^{6}(\lambda/n)^{-3}$. These values are the highest reported to date for any chip-based microcavity. A corresponding Purcell factor in excess of 200 000 and a cavity finesse of $2.8\times10^{6}$ is achieved, demonstrating that toroid microcavities are promising candidates for studies of the Purcell effect, cavity QED or biochemical sensingComment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to Applied Physics Letter

Ultra-high-Q toroid microcavities on a chip

We demonstrate microfabrication of ultra-high-Q microcavities on a chip, exhibiting a novel toroid-shaped geometry. The cavities possess Q-factors in excess of 100 million which constitutes an improvement close to 4 orders-of-magnitude in Q compared to previous work [B. Gayral, et al., 1999]

Fabrication and coupling to planar high-Q silica disk microcavities

Using standard lithographic techniques, we demonstrate fabrication of silica disk microcavities, which exhibit whispering-gallery-type modes having quality factors (Q) in excess of 1 million. Efficient coupling (high extinction at critical coupling and low, nonresonant insertion loss) to and from the disk structure is achieved by the use of tapered optical fibers. The observed high Q is attributed to the wedged-shaped edge of the disk microcavity, which is believed to isolate modes from the disk perimeter and thereby reduce scattering loss. The mode spectrum is measured and the influence of planar confinement on the mode structure is investigated. We analyze the use of these resonators for very low loss devices, such as add/drop filters

Ultralow-threshold microcavity Raman laser on a microelectronic chip

Using ultrahigh-Q toroid microcavities on a chip, we demonstrate a monolithic microcavity Raman laser. Cavity photon lifetimes in excess of 100 ns combined with mode volumes typically of less than 1000 µm^3 significantly reduce the threshold for stimulated Raman scattering. In conjunction with the high ideality of a tapered optical fiber coupling junction, stimulated Raman lasing is observed at an ultralow threshold (as low as 74 µW of fiber-launched power at 1550 nm) with high efficiency (up to 45% at the critical coupling point) in good agreement with theoretical modeling. Equally important, the wafer-scale nature of these devices should permit integration with other photonic, mechanical, or electrical functionality on a chip

Ideality in a fiber-taper-coupled microresonator system for application to cavity quantum electrodynamics

The ability to achieve near lossless coupling between a waveguide and a resonator is fundamental to many quantum-optical studies as well as to practical applications of such structures. The nature of loss at the junction is described by a figure of merit called ideality. It is shown here that under appropriate conditions ideality in excess of 99.97% is possible using fiber-taper coupling to high-Q silica microspheres. To verify this level of coupling, a technique is introduced that can both measure ideality over a range of coupling strengths and provide a practical diagnostic of parasitic coupling within the fiber-taper-waveguide junction

Ultra-high-Q microcavity operation in H2O and D2O

Optical microcavities provide a possible method for boosting the detection sensitivity of biomolecules. Silica-based microcavities are important because they are readily functionalized, which enables unlabeled detection. While silica resonators have been characterized in air, nearly all molecular detections are performed in solution. Therefore, it is important to determine their performance limits in an aqueous environment. In this letter, planar microtoroid resonators are used to measure the relationship between quality factor and toroid diameter at wavelengths ranging from visible to near-IR in both H2O and D2O, and results are then compared to predictions of a numerical model. Quality factors (Q) in excess of 10^8, a factor of 100 higher than previous measurements in an aqueous environment, are observed in both H2O and D2O

Gray Whale Calls Recorded near Barrow, Alaska, throughout the Winter of 2003–04

Since the mid-1990s, gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) have been reported with increasing frequency near Barrow, Alaska, during summer and autumn months. In collaboration with a broad-scale oceanographic study, three autonomous acoustic recorders were moored northeast of Barrow in October 2003 to provide capability for year-round detection of calls. Two recorders were recovered in September 2004, one from the continental slope (water depth = 316 m) and one from near the base of the slope (water depth = 1258 m). The shallow instrument recorded for roughly 3 months (87 days), and the deeper instrument for roughly 7.3 months (222 days). Gray whale calls were recorded on both instruments throughout their periods of operation. The calling rate at the shallower instrument was higher than at the deeper recorder, but surprisingly, the deeper instrument detected calls throughout the 2003–04 winter, though the calling rate diminished as winter progressed. Low-frequency N1/S1 pulses, the most common of the calls produced by gray whales, were recorded from deployment through December 2003 on the shallower of the two instruments and from deployment through May 2004 on the deeper instrument. Because this is the first-ever winterlong acoustic study, we cannot be certain that gray whales have not overwintered in the Beaufort Sea in the past. However, a combination of increasing population size and habitat alteration associated with sea ice reduction and warming in the Alaskan Arctic may be responsible for the extra-seasonal gray whale occurrence near Barrow.Depuis le milieu des années 1990, des baleines grises (Eschrichtius robustus) ont été signalées de plus en plus souvent près de Barrow, en Alaska, pendant les mois d’été et d’automne. En collaboration avec une étude océanographique à grande échelle, trois enregistreurs acoustiques autonomes ont été amarrés au nord-est de Barrow en octobre 2003 afin de pouvoir détecter les cris de baleine à l’année. Deux enregistreurs ont été récupérés en septembre 2004, un de la pente continentale (à une profondeur d’eau de 316 m) et l’autre près de la base de la pente (à une profondeur de 1 258 m). L’instrument le moins profond a enregistré les sons pendant trois mois environ (87 jours), tandis que l’instrument le plus profond a enregistré les sons pendant environ 7, 3 mois (222 jours). Les cris de baleines grises ont été enregistrés au moyen des deux instruments. Le nombre de cris enregistrés à l’aide de l’instrument le moins profond était plus élevé qu’avec l’instrument le plus profond. Cependant, et fait étonnant, l’instrument le plus profond a détecté des cris pendant l’hiver 2003– 2004, bien que le nombre de cris ait diminué au fur et à mesure que l’hiver avançait. Les ondes pulsées de basse fréquence N1/S1, soit les cris les plus courants produits par les baleines grises, ont été enregistrées à partir de l’installation de l’instrument le moins profond en décembre en 2003 et de l’installation de l’instrument le plus profond jusqu’au mois de mai 2004. Puisqu’il s’agit de la première étude acoustique ayant duré pendant tout l’hiver, nous ne pouvons pas savoir avec certitude si les baleines grises n’ont pas hiverné dans la mer de Beaufort par le passé. Toutefois, l’augmentation de la population de baleines, alliée à la modification de l’habitat, à la diminution de la glace de mer et au réchauffement qui sévit dans la région arctique de l’Alaska, pourrait être responsable de la présence de baleines grises hors saison près de Barrow

Modal properties of toroidal microcavities

We investigate the resonance structure and modal properties of chip-based toroidal microcavities. The variation of modal volume and radiation quality factor versus the toroidal geometrical aspect ratio is studied