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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
Published on: May 30, 2014
Kerr-nonlinearity optical parametric oscillation in an ultrahigh-Q toroid microcavity
T J Kippenberg1, S M Spillane, K J Vahala
1California Institute of Technology, Thomas J. Watson Laboratory of Applied Physics, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Abstract:
Kerr-nonlinearity induced optical parametric oscillation in a microcavity is reported for the first time. Geometrical control of toroid microcavities enables a transition from stimulated Raman to optical parametric-oscillation regimes. Optical parametric oscillation is observed at record low threshold levels (174 micro-Watts of launched power) more than 2 orders of magnitude lower than for optical-fiber-based optical parametric oscillation. In addition to their microscopic size (typically tens of microns), these oscillators are wafer based, exhibit high conversion efficiency (36%), and are operating in a highly ideal "two photon" emission regime, with near-unity (0.97+/-0.03) idler-to-signal ratio.
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