High Q-factor microring cavities are not only an ideal testbed for studying a variety of nonlinear dynamics, but also enable new nonlinear photonic technologies.
We discovered the universality of the dynamics of a time-oscillating behavior known as breather solitons in microresonators, [1]. We theoretically and experimentally found a new group of nonlinear optical processes, frequency degenerate oscillator, which operates in an unconventional parameter space [2]. This discovery led to several impactful chip-scale applications, such as a miniatured quantum random number generator [3] and a nanophotonic spin glass [4]. We further demonstrated a coupled nonlinear oscillator system with programmable couplings through on-chip fast control [4]. More importantly, it opens up an exciting direction towards a compact coherent Ising machine which offers compelling advantages over modern microelectronic processors for optical computing.
Related publication:
[1] M. Yu, et al., “Breather soliton dynamics in microresonators,” Nature Commun. 8, 14569 (2017).
[2] Y. Okawachi*, M. Yu*, et al., “Dual-pumped degenerate Kerr oscillator in a silicon nitride microresonator,” Opt. Lett. 40, 5267 (2015).
[3] Y. Okawachi*, M. Yu*, et al., “Quantum random number generator using a microresonator-based Kerr oscillator,” Opt. Lett. 41, 4194 (2016). – Editor’s Pick
[4] Y. Okawachi*, M. Yu*, et al., “Demonstration of chip-based coupled degenerate optical parametric oscillators for realizing a nanophotonic spin-glass,” Nature Commun. 11, 4119 (2020).