Method and system for pumping of an optical resonator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10199793-B2
Application number	US-201715639642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2017
Priority date	Jul 12, 2013
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A method of pumping an optical resonator includes directing light generated by a pumping light at the optical resonator, exciting a propagating surface state of the optical resonator at an interface of the optical resonator, and changing a propagating frequency of the light proximate the interface, where the changed frequency corresponds to a propagation frequency of the surface state. The optical resonator includes a photonic crystal and a material, where the interface is formed between the photonic crystal and the material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for pumping an optical resonator, comprising:
generating light using a light source;
projecting the light at the optical resonator;
propagating the light through a photonic crystal such that the light reaches an interface of the optical resonator;
changing a frequency of the light near the interface;
exciting a surface state of the optical resonator at the interface; and

propagating the surface state at the interface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optical resonator is a spectrally limited optical resonator, wherein the spectrally limited optical resonator is limited in chromatic index.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photonic crystal is one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interface is between the photonic crystal and a metal, a dielectric, another photonic crystal, a gas, air, or vacuum.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface state includes substantially exponentially functions with a field maximum at the interface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface state propagates along the interface after the frequency of the light is changed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optical resonator includes alternating layers having substantially equal thickness, wherein the photonic crystal includes at least one layer of the alternating layers.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions forming a program executable by a processing circuit to control pumping an optical resonator, the instructions comprising:
instructions to control generation of light using a light source;
instructions to control projection of the light at the optical resonator;
instructions to excite propagation of the light through a photonic crystal such that the light reaches an interface of the optical resonator;
instructions to monitor a change of a frequency of the light near the interface;
instructions to monitor excitation of a surface state of the optical resonator at the interface; and
instructions to monitor propagation of the surface state at the interface.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the optical resonator is a spectrally limited optical resonator, wherein the spectrally limited optical resonator is limited in chromatic index.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the photonic crystal is one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the interface is between the photonic crystal and a metal, a dielectric, another photonic crystal, a gas, air, or vacuum.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the surface state includes substantially exponentially functions with a field maximum at the interface.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the surface state propagates along the interface after the frequency of the light is changed.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the optical resonator includes alternating layers having substantially equal thickness, wherein the photonic crystal includes at least one layer of the alternating layers.

15. A system for pumping an optical resonator, comprising:
a controllable pumping light source configured to:
generate light;
project the light at the optical resonator, wherein the optical resonator comprises:
a photonic crystal; and
a material, wherein an interface is formed between the photonic crystal and the material; and

a processing circuit configured to:
control the generation of the light by the pumping light source;
control the direction of the light by the pumping light source;
monitor excitation of a propagating surface state of the optical resonator at the interface of the optical resonator; and
monitor a change in a propagating frequency of the light at the interface.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the optical resonator is a spectrally limited optical resonator, wherein the spectrally limited optical resonator is limited in chromatic index.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the photonic crystal is one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the material includes a metal, a dielectric, another photonic crystal, a gas, air, or vacuum.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the surface state includes substantially exponentially functions with a field maximum at the interface.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the surface state propagates along the interface after the frequency of the light is changed.

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Bowers Jeffrey A
• Duncan William D
• Hyde Roderick A
• Kare Jordin T
• Kundtz Nathan
• Liu Ruopeng
• Mcwilliams Bruce M
• Pendry John B
• Roberts Daniel A
• Schurig David
• Smith David R
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• H01S5/10

  Construction or shape of the optical resonator {, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region (H01S5/20 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H01S5/4031

  Edge-emitting structures · CPC title

• H01S5/105

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01S3/0604

  in the form of a plate or disc · CPC title

• H01S3/108

  using non-linear optical devices, e.g. exhibiting Brillouin or Raman scattering {(mode locking using a non-linear element H01S3/1112)} · CPC title