Wan Shuai, Wang Pi-Yu, Li Ming, Ma Rui, Niu Rui, Sun Fang-Wen, Bo Fang, Guo Guang-Can, Dong Chun-Hua
Laboratory of Quantum Information, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
CAS Center For Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
Nat Commun. 2025 May 24;16(1):4829. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60161-1.
Optical frequency combs (OFCs), composed of equally spaced frequency lines, are essential for communications, spectroscopy, precision measurement, and fundamental physics research. Recent developments in integrated photonics have advanced chip-scale OFCs, enabling on-chip OFC generation via the Kerr or electro-optic (EO) effect. However, these nonlinear processes can occur simultaneously and are often accompanied by parasitic effects, like Raman scattering, which may impede broadband and low-noise microcomb generation. Here, we harness these interactions to demonstrate a novel OFC, the self-locked Raman-electro-optic (REO) microcomb in a lithium niobate microresonator. By leveraging the collaboration of EO, Kerr and Raman scattering, the REO microcomb spans over 300 nm (~1400 lines) with a 26.03 GHz repetition rate, achieving low-noise operation without external feedback. Our approach points to a direction for improving the performance of microcombs and paves the way for exploring new nonlinear physics, such as new laser locking techniques, through the multi-nonlinear synergy.
由等间距频率线组成的光学频率梳（OFC）对于通信、光谱学、精密测量和基础物理研究至关重要。集成光子学的最新进展推动了芯片级OFC的发展，通过克尔效应或电光（EO）效应实现了片上OFC的产生。然而，这些非线性过程可能同时发生，并且常常伴随着诸如拉曼散射等寄生效应，这可能会阻碍宽带和低噪声微梳的产生。在此，我们利用这些相互作用展示了一种新型OFC，即铌酸锂微谐振器中的自锁拉曼 - 电光（REO）微梳。通过利用电光、克尔和拉曼散射的协同作用，REO微梳在26.03 GHz重复频率下跨越超过300 nm（约1400条线），无需外部反馈即可实现低噪声运行。我们的方法为提高微梳性能指明了方向，并为通过多非线性协同作用探索新的非线性物理，如新型激光锁定技术，铺平了道路。
