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Millisecond Photon Lifetime in a Slow-Light Microcavity

V. Huet, A. Rasoloniaina, P. Guillemé, P. Rochard, P. Féron, M. Mortier, A. Levenson, K. Bencheikh, A. Yacomotti, and Y. Dumeige
Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 133902 – Published 29 March 2016
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Abstract

Optical microcavities with ultralong photon storage times are of central importance for integrated nanophotonics. To date, record quality (Q) factors up to 1011 have been measured in millimetric-size single-crystal whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators, and 1010 in silica or glass microresonators. We show that, by introducing slow-light effects in an active WGM microresonator, it is possible to enhance the photon lifetime by several orders of magnitude, thus circumventing both fabrication imperfections and residual absorption. The slow-light effect is obtained from coherent population oscillations in an erbium-doped fluoride glass microsphere, producing strong dispersion of the WGM (group index ng106). As a result, a photon lifetime up to 2.5 ms at room temperature has been measured, corresponding to a Q factor of 3×1012 at 1530 nm. This system could yield a new type of optical memory microarray with ultralong storage times.

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  • Received 20 November 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.133902

© 2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Synopsis

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Photon’s Lifetime Extended

Published 29 March 2016

Introducing a slow-light medium into an optical microresonator extends the lifetime of a photon circulating in the device by several orders of magnitude.

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Authors & Affiliations

V. Huet1, A. Rasoloniaina1, P. Guillemé1, P. Rochard1, P. Féron1, M. Mortier2, A. Levenson3, K. Bencheikh3, A. Yacomotti3, and Y. Dumeige1,*

  • 1FOTON (CNRS-UMR 6082), Université de Rennes I, ENSSAT, 6 rue de Kerampont, CS 80518, 22305 Lannion cedex, France
  • 2IRCP (CNRS-UMR 8247), Chimie Paristech, PSL Research University, 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
  • 3LPN (CNRS-UPR 20), Route de Nozay, 91460 Marcoussis, France

  • *yannick.dumeige@univ-rennes1.fr

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Issue

Vol. 116, Iss. 13 — 1 April 2016

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