This project is inspired by how the immeasurable impact of electronics in our modern life is rooted in the development of a nonlinear device in a scalable and integrated form, i.e. the silicon-based transistor. Introducing resonators with strong quadratic nonlinearities to photonic devices can enable development of disruptive technologies for numerous applications. This is evident from more than 50 years of table-top nonlinear optics, over which a wide range of optical systems with extraordinary performance has been demonstrated and used for applications ranging from sensing to computing. This project is focused on bringing the depth and breadth of such functionalities to the micro-chip-scale integrated photonics, and enabling scalable solutions for a variety of real-life applications. The specific experiments of the project can lead to unprecedented solutions for our most daunting molecular sensing challenges through development of ideal compact sources for spectroscopy. They can also enable a scalable path for unconventional computing for some of our hardest computational problems in a variety of disciplines. The developed knowledge through this project will be applicable to other applications ranging from metrology to quantum information processing and optical communications. Students working on the project will get educated on conducting multi-disciplinary research, and the PI will incorporate the materials developed through this project in a course on frontiers of nonlinear optics. The team will participate in outreach activities targeting k-12 students with a large population of underrepresented minorities.
Optical resonators with strong quadratic nonlinearities are proven to provide a broad range of functionalities that are essential for sensing and information processing applications. However, despite their outstanding performance in table-top systems, their footprint, power consumption, and cost have been prohibitive for many real-life applications. Recent development of nanoscale photonic platforms with quadratic nonlinearities, for instance in lithium niobate, has enabled access to an unexplored regime of nonlinear photonics which promises overcoming these challenges. This regime is associated with significantly large nonlinearities, low losses, and potential for dispersion engineering. This project leverages these features to introduce a disruptive line of theoretical and experimental research on quadratically-nonlinear microresonators, and aims to (i) advance our understanding of this new regime of nonlinear photonics, (ii) utilize this micro-chip-based platform to lay the foundation for development of a new class of functionalities in photonic devices and systems, and (iii) demonstrate proof-of-concept experiments for on-chip nonlinear optical systems.
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.
