Method and system for pumping of an optical resonator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9698558-B2
Application number	US-201615183017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2016
Priority date	Jul 12, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

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 out-of-visible band light using a light source;
projecting the out-of-visible light at the optical resonator;
propagating the light through the 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 light is allowed to propagate through only the photonic crystal.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material includes a different material than the photonic crystal, wherein the different material includes one of a metal, a dielectric, or a gas.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the frequency is based on a coherent and nonlinear process.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the propagating frequency is based on a non-coherent process.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the process is based on coherent multi-photon absorption.

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 out-of-visible band light using a light source;
instructions to control pumping of the out-of-visible band light at the optical resonator;
instructions to propagate the light through the photonic crystal such that the light reaches an interface of the optical resonator;
instructions to change a frequency of the light near the interface;
instructions to excite a surface state of the optical resonator at the interface; and
instructions to propagate 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 light is allowed to propagate through only the photonic crystal.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the light is allowed to propagate through only the material.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the light is allowed to propagate through both the photonic crystal and the material.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein propagation in the optical resonator includes a frequency bandgap, wherein the propagation frequency of the surface state is within the bandgap.

14. A system for pumping an optical resonator, comprising:
a controllable pumping light source configured to:
generate out-of-visible band light; and
project the out-of-band visible 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 out-of-visible band light by the pumping light source;
control the direction of the out-of-visible band light by the pumping 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 out-of-visible band light proximate the interface, wherein the changed frequency corresponds to a propagation frequency of the surface state.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the optical resonator is a spectrally limited optical resonator, wherein the spectrally limited optical resonator is limited in chromatic index.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the light is allowed to propagate through only the photonic crystal.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the material includes a different material than the photonic crystal, wherein the different material includes one of a metal, a dielectric, or a gas.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein changing the frequency is based on a coherent and nonlinear process.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein changing the propagating frequency is based on a non-coherent process.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the process is based on coherent multi-photon absorption.

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

• H01S3/0092 Primary

  Nonlinear frequency conversion, e.g. second harmonic generation [SHG] or sum- or difference-frequency generation outside the laser cavity (nonlinear frequency conversion per se G02F1/35) · CPC title

• H01S3/0912 Primary

  Electronics or drivers for the pump source, i.e. details of drivers or circuitry specific for laser pumping (laser diode drivers H01S5/042) · CPC title

• G02F2202/32

  Photonic crystals · 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

• H01S5/1021

  Coupled cavities (H01S5/14 takes precedence) · CPC title