Stabilizing optical resonators

• US 8,164,816 B1
• Filed: 09/02/2008
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Savchenkov, Anatoliy, Matsko, Andrey B., Yu, Nan, Maleki, Lutfollah, Ilchenko, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Mack, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRA, TUYEN Q
• Application Number:
  US12/203,143
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 359/245, 359/246, 359/254, 359/255, 359/256, 359/239, 359/322, 359/323, 385/2, 385/3, 385/8, 372/12, 372/26, 372/27, 372/28
• US Class Current: 359/245
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0356 controlled by a high-frequency electromagnetic wave component in an electric waveguide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/15 involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/21 Thermal instability, i.e. DC drift, of an optical modulator; Arrangements or methods for the reduction thereof

Abstract

Techniques and devices that stabilize optical resonators.

Claims

1. A method for stabilizing an optical resonator, comprising:

providing an optical resonator that comprises a birefringent medium, and supports whispering gallery modes circulating in the birefringent medium;

injecting a coherent optical beam that has polarization components in polarization directions of both ordinary and extraordinary polarization waves in whispering gallery modes, the coherent optical beam comprising a first optical component at a first optical frequency in resonance with the ordinary polarization wave and a second optical component at a second optical frequency in resonance with the extraordinary polarization wave;

monitoring a change in a difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency; and

controlling the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the resonator resonance frequency of the optical resonator.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein:

the controlling the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the resonator resonance frequency of the optical resonator comprises controlling a temperature of the optical resonator.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein:

the controlling the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the resonator resonance frequency of the optical resonator comprises controlling a pressure exerted onto the optical resonator.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein:

the controlling the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the resonator resonance frequency of the optical resonator comprises controlling a control voltage applied to the optical resonator.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein:

the injected coherent optical beam is a laser beam from a single laser at one of the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency, and

the laser beam is modulated at an RF frequency equal to a difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to have a sideband at the other one of the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein:

the injected coherent optical beam is produced by combining a first laser beam from a first laser at the first optical frequency and a second laser beam from a second laser at the second optical frequency, where the first laser and the second laser are locked to each other in phase.

7. The method as in claim 1, comprising:

comparing the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to a clock signal to determine the change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency with respect to the clock signal.

8. A device, comprising:

an optical resonator that comprises a birefringent medium, and supports whispering gallery modes circulating in the birefringent medium;

an optical light source module that produces a coherent optical beam that comprises a first optical component at a first optical frequency and a second optical component at a second optical frequency different from the first optical frequency;

an optical coupler that couples the coherent optical beam into the optical resonator to have polarization components in polarization directions of both ordinary and extraordinary polarization waves in whispering gallery modes in the optical resonator, wherein the first optical frequency is in resonance with the ordinary polarization wave and the second optical frequency is in resonance with the extraordinary polarization wave;

a monitoring mechanism that monitors a change in a difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency; and

a resonator controller that controls the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the resonator resonance frequency of the optical resonator.

9. The device as in claim 8, wherein:

the resonator controller controls a temperature of the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the resonator resonance frequency of the optical resonator.

10. The device as in claim 8, wherein:

the resonator controller controls a pressure exerted onto the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the resonator resonance frequency of the optical resonator.

11. The device as in claim 8, wherein:

the resonator controller controls a control voltage applied to the optical resonator to reduce the monitored change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to stabilize the resonator resonance frequency of the optical resonator.

12. The device as in claim 8, wherein:

the optical light source module comprises a single laser to produce a laser beam at one of the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency, and an optical modulator that modulates the laser beam at an RF frequency equal to a difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to have a sideband at the other one of the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency.

13. The device as in claim 8, wherein:

the optical light source module comprises a first laser that produces a first laser beam at the first optical frequency, a second laser that produces a second laser beam at the second optical frequency, wherein the first laser and the second laser are locked to each other in phase and the first and second laser beams are combined to produce the coherent optical beam that is coupled into the optical resonator by the optical coupler.

14. The device as in claim 8, wherein:

the resonator controller compares the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency to a clock signal to determine the change in the difference between the first optical frequency and the second optical frequency with respect to the clock signal.