Nanofiber-segment ring resonator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10884189-B2
Application number	US-201816000938-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2018
Priority date	Jun 6, 2017
Publication date	Jan 5, 2021
Grant date	Jan 5, 2021

Abstract

A fiber ring resonator having a relatively long loop of standard single-mode fiber with a short nanofiber segment. The evanescent mode of the nanofiber segment allows the cavity-enhanced field to interact with atoms in close proximity to the nanofiber surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A nanofiber-segment ring resonator (NFSRR) comprising a ring of fiber having an overall ring diameter and a core diameter, wherein the ring of fiber comprises at least one nanofiber segment, wherein the nanofiber segment has (i) a nanofiber length and (ii) a nanofiber core diameter that is less than half a resonance wavelength of a quantum emitter.

2. The NFSRR of claim 1 , wherein the nanofiber segment is tapered relative to the fiber.

3. The NFSRR of claim 1 , wherein the NFSRR is an all-fiber cavity free of mirrors, microtoroids, or other structures formed using lithographic techniques known in the art of semiconductor materials.

4. The NFSRR of claim 1 , wherein the NFSRR is positioned in proximity to a separate cavity device comprising mirrors, microtoroids, or other structures formed using lithographic techniques.

5. The NFSRR of claim 1 , wherein the NFSRR has a symmetrical or unsymmetrical closed loop shape selected from the group consisting of a circle, an oval, a rectangle with rounded corners, a triangle with rounded corners, and a polygon.

6. The NFSRR of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nanofiber segment is enclosed in a vacuum system.

7. The NFSRR of claim 6 , wherein the vacuum system comprises quantum emitters comprising atoms, molecules, ions, quantum dots, and any combination thereof.

8. The NFSRR of claim 6 , wherein the vacuum system comprises reactive alkali-metal vapors.

9. The NFSRR of claim 7 , wherein cavity resonance is tuned to match the resonance of the quantum emitters by adjusting the overall ring diameter.

10. The NFSRR of claim 1 , wherein a fiber coupler is used to couple light into and out of the NFSRR.

11. The NFSRR of claim 10 , wherein a coupling ratio of the fiber coupler is adjustable and is chosen to match an internal loss in the NFSRR.

12. An atom-cavity system comprising the NFSRR of claim 1 , wherein the ring of fiber defines a cavity, wherein interactions between a cavity-enhanced field and atoms in close proximity to the nanofiber segment results in nonlinear transmission.

13. The atom-cavity system of claim 12 , wherein the nanofiber segment is enclosed in a vacuum system.

14. The atom-cavity system of claim 12 , wherein the system is used in a low power, non-linear optic system, an all-optical switching system, or an all-optical logic system.

15. The atom-cavity system of claim 12 , wherein the nonlinear transmission occurs at low power levels.

16. The atom-cavity system of claim 12 , wherein a fiber coupler is used to couple light into and out of the NFSRR.

17. The atom-cavity system of claim 16 , wherein a coupling ratio of the fiber coupler is adjustable and is chosen to match an internal loss in the NFSRR.

18. The NFSRR of claim 1 , wherein when an evanescent field of the nanofiber segment interacts with quantum emitters, a nonlinear interaction occurs.

Assignees

• Pittman Todd
• Univ Maryland

Inventors

• Pittman Todd
• Jones Daniel
• Hickman Garrett
• Franson James

Classifications

• G02B6/107

  Subwavelength-diameter waveguides, e.g. nanowires · CPC title

• G01N21/7746

  the waveguide coupled to a cavity resonator · CPC title

• G01N21/00

  Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light (G01N3/00 - G01N19/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/0118

  by controlling the evanescent coupling of light from a fibre into an active, e.g. electro-optic, overlay · CPC title

• G02B6/02028

  Small effective area or mode field radius, e.g. for allowing nonlinear effects (non-linear optical waveguide devices G02F1/365) · CPC title