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Ultralow-threshold cascaded Brillouin microlaser for tunable microwave generation
Optics Letters
|October 30, 2015
Summary
We developed an ultralow-threshold Brillouin microlaser for tunable microwave generation. This novel device achieves a record low threshold and tunable microwave signals, paving the way for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Microwave Engineering
Background:
- Brillouin microlasers are essential for generating microwave signals.
- Achieving ultralow thresholds and tunability in these devices remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate an ultralow-threshold cascaded Brillouin microlaser.
- To achieve tunable microwave generation using a high-Q silica microsphere resonator.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a cascaded Brillouin scattering process within a high-Q silica microsphere.
- Employing resonant wavelength shifts driven by thermal dynamics for tunability.
Main Results:
- An ultralow threshold of 8 μW was achieved for the Brillouin microlaser.
- The fifth-order Stokes line with a 55 GHz frequency shift was generated.
- Tunable microwave signals with 40 MHz and 20 MHz tuning ranges were realized.
Conclusions:
- This work presents the first tunable microwave source based on a whispering-gallery-mode Brillouin microlaser.
- The demonstrated technology offers a promising solution for applications in aerospace, communication engineering, and metrology.
