Fundamental Thermal Noise Limits for Optical Microcavities
We present a joint theoretical and experimental analysis of thermorefractive noise in high-quality-factor (Q), small-mode-volume (V) optical microcavities. Analogous to well-studied stability limits imposed by Brownian motion in macroscopic Fabry-Perot resonators, we show that microcavity thermorefr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Physical Review X |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.10.041046 |
| _version_ | 1818993943565565952 |
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| author | Christopher Panuski Dirk Englund Ryan Hamerly |
| author_facet | Christopher Panuski Dirk Englund Ryan Hamerly |
| author_sort | Christopher Panuski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present a joint theoretical and experimental analysis of thermorefractive noise in high-quality-factor (Q), small-mode-volume (V) optical microcavities. Analogous to well-studied stability limits imposed by Brownian motion in macroscopic Fabry-Perot resonators, we show that microcavity thermorefractive noise gives rise to a mode-volume-dependent maximum effective quality factor. State-of-the-art fabricated microcavities are found to be within one order of magnitude of this bound. By measuring the first thermodynamically limited frequency noise spectra of wavelength-scale high-Q/V silicon photonic crystal cavities, we confirm the assumptions of our theory, demonstrate a broadband sub-μK/sqrt[Hz] temperature sensitivity, and unveil a new technique for discerning subwavelength changes in microcavity mode volumes. To illustrate the immediate implications of these results, we show that thermorefractive noise limits the optimal performance of recently proposed room-temperature, all-optical qubits using cavity-enhanced bulk material nonlinearities. Looking forward, we propose and analyze coherent thermo-optic noise cancellation as one potential avenue toward violating these bounds, thereby enabling continued development in quantum optical measurement, precision sensing, and low-noise integrated photonics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:50:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-29039900e6294641986de8343152ef5d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2160-3308 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:50:05Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physical Review X |
| spelling | doaj.art-29039900e6294641986de8343152ef5d2022-12-21T19:26:56ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review X2160-33082020-12-0110404104610.1103/PhysRevX.10.041046Fundamental Thermal Noise Limits for Optical MicrocavitiesChristopher PanuskiDirk EnglundRyan HamerlyWe present a joint theoretical and experimental analysis of thermorefractive noise in high-quality-factor (Q), small-mode-volume (V) optical microcavities. Analogous to well-studied stability limits imposed by Brownian motion in macroscopic Fabry-Perot resonators, we show that microcavity thermorefractive noise gives rise to a mode-volume-dependent maximum effective quality factor. State-of-the-art fabricated microcavities are found to be within one order of magnitude of this bound. By measuring the first thermodynamically limited frequency noise spectra of wavelength-scale high-Q/V silicon photonic crystal cavities, we confirm the assumptions of our theory, demonstrate a broadband sub-μK/sqrt[Hz] temperature sensitivity, and unveil a new technique for discerning subwavelength changes in microcavity mode volumes. To illustrate the immediate implications of these results, we show that thermorefractive noise limits the optimal performance of recently proposed room-temperature, all-optical qubits using cavity-enhanced bulk material nonlinearities. Looking forward, we propose and analyze coherent thermo-optic noise cancellation as one potential avenue toward violating these bounds, thereby enabling continued development in quantum optical measurement, precision sensing, and low-noise integrated photonics.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.10.041046 |
| spellingShingle | Christopher Panuski Dirk Englund Ryan Hamerly Fundamental Thermal Noise Limits for Optical Microcavities Physical Review X |
| title | Fundamental Thermal Noise Limits for Optical Microcavities |
| title_full | Fundamental Thermal Noise Limits for Optical Microcavities |
| title_fullStr | Fundamental Thermal Noise Limits for Optical Microcavities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fundamental Thermal Noise Limits for Optical Microcavities |
| title_short | Fundamental Thermal Noise Limits for Optical Microcavities |
| title_sort | fundamental thermal noise limits for optical microcavities |
| url | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.10.041046 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christopherpanuski fundamentalthermalnoiselimitsforopticalmicrocavities AT dirkenglund fundamentalthermalnoiselimitsforopticalmicrocavities AT ryanhamerly fundamentalthermalnoiselimitsforopticalmicrocavities |