Ultrasensitive detection of mode splitting in active optical microcavities

Journal Article · Mon Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.82.053810· OSTI ID:21528726

He, Lina; Oezdemir, Sahin Kaya; Jiangang, Zhu; Lan, Yang ^[1]

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1. Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130 (United States)

Scattering-induced mode splitting in active microcavities is demonstrated. Below the lasing threshold, quality factor enhancement by optical gain allows resolving, in the wavelength-scanning transmission spectrum, of resonance dips of the split modes which otherwise would not be detected in a passive resonator. In the lasing regime, mode splitting manifests itself as two lasing modes with extremely narrow linewidths. Mixing these lasing modes in a detector leads to a heterodyne beat signal whose frequency corresponds to the mode-splitting amount. Lasing regime not only allows ultra-high sensitivity for mode-splitting measurements but also provides an easily accessible scheme by eliminating the need for wavelength scanning around resonant modes. Mode splitting in active microcavities has an immediate impact in enhancing the sensitivity of subwavelength scatterer detection and in studying light-matter interactions in a strong-coupling regime.

• OSTI ID: 21528726
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Journal Name: Physical Review. A Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 82; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
AMPLIFICATION
DETECTION
DIMENSIONLESS NUMBERS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FREQUENCY MIXING
GAIN
INTERACTIONS
LASER RADIATION
LINE WIDTHS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATTER
PARTICLE MODELS
QUALITY FACTOR
RADIATIONS
RESONANCE
RESONATORS
SCATTERING
SENSITIVITY
SIGNALS
SPECTRA
STRONG-COUPLING MODEL
VISIBLE RADIATION
WAVELENGTHS