arXiv subjects

Devin J. Dean

Publications and source records attributed to Devin J. Dean.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Practical Limits on Integrated Squeezers

Recent experiments have demonstrated the successful generation and detection of moderately squeezed vacuum states with integrated photonics. However, in order to benefit from the reduced noise of highly squeezed light, many different noise sources must be mitigated. Here, we quantify the fundamental limits these noise sources impose on squeezing measurements and find surprising generality across different platforms and designs. We combine these different limitations into a simple model that provides practical guidance for the design and benchmarking of next-generation integrated squeezed-light systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Ultra-wideband electrically-tuned mid-infrared on-chip parametric oscillator

Developing compact, broadband mid-infrared coherent sources for applications in spectroscopy and sensing remains a pressing challenge in photonics. However, material limitations and integration constraints have restricted the accessible wavelengths and operation bandwidths of current mid-infrared lasers. Here, we address these challenges by developing a nonlinear integrated photonic device that converts a fixed-wavelength near-infrared pump laser into broadly tunable mid-infrared light. Our device, an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) integrated on thin-film lithium niobate, generates 22 THz of multi-milliwatt, voltage-tunable radiation from 2.7-3.4 microns, a region typically difficult to access but vital for environmental, chemical, and biological sensing. By introducing an on-chip-tunable OPO architecture taking advantage of the Vernier effect, we obtain electrical control of the emission wavelengths from coarse, multi-THz scales down to continuous, sub-100-GHz mode-hop-free tuning ranges. This work establishes a robust platform for a new class of compact, widely tunable mid-infrared sources with potential for future scaling.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Ultrabroadband Passive Laser Noise Suppression to Quantum Noise Limit through on-chip Second Harmonic Generation

Laser intensity noise limits performance in quantum sensing, metrology, and computing. Existing stabilization methods face a trade-off between bandwidth and complexity: electronic feedback loops are speed-limited, while optical resonators are constrained by narrow linewidths and locking requirements. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical "noise eater" that passively suppresses intensity fluctuations from DC to >10 gigahertz. By leveraging high-efficiency second-harmonic generation in nanophotonic lithium niobate waveguides, we operate at a pump-depletion stationary point where input fluctuations are decoupled from the output to first order. This passive and nonresonant nanophotonic device suppresses relative intensity noise by 25 to 60 dB over the full measurement bandwidth and stabilizes a noisy fiber amplifier output to the shot-noise limit. Our results establish a scalable, wide-bandwidth paradigm for laser stabilization essential for high-throughput quantum technologies and deployable photonic sensing systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Low-power integrated optical parametric amplification via second-harmonic resonance

Optical amplifiers are fundamental to modern photonics, enabling long-distance communications, precision sensing, and quantum information processing. Erbium-doped amplifiers dominate telecommunications but are restricted to specific wavelength bands, while semiconductor amplifiers offer broader coverage but suffer from high noise and nonlinear distortions. Optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) promise broadband, quantum-limited amplification across arbitrary wavelengths. However, their miniaturization and deployment has been hampered by watt-level power requirements. Here we demonstrate an integrated OPA on thin-film lithium niobate that achieves >17 dB gain with <200 mW input power -- an order of magnitude improvement over previous demonstrations. Our second-harmonic-resonant design enhances both pump generation efficiency (95% conversion) and pump power utilization through recirculation, without sacrificing bandwidth. The resonant architecture increases the effective pump power by nearly an order of magnitude compared to conventional single-pass designs, while also multiplexing the signal and pump. We demonstrate flat near-quantum-limited noise performance over 110 nm. Our low-power architecture enables practical on-chip OPAs for next generation quantum and classical photonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Single-Mode Squeezed Light Generation and Tomography with an Integrated Optical Parametric Oscillator

Quantum optical technologies promise advances in sensing, computing, and communication. A key resource is squeezed light, where quantum noise is redistributed between optical quadratures. We introduce a monolithic, chip-scale platform that exploits the $χ^{(2)}$ nonlinearity of a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) resonator device to efficiently generate squeezed states of light. Our system integrates all essential components -- except for the laser and two detectors -- on a single chip with an area of one square centimeter, significantly reducing the size, operational complexity, and power consumption associated with conventional setups. Our work addresses challenges that have limited previous integrated nonlinear photonic implementations that rely on either $χ^{(3)}$ nonlinear resonators or on integrated waveguide $χ^{(2)}$ parametric amplifiers. Using the balanced homodyne measurement subsystem that we implemented on the same chip, we measure a squeezing of 0.55 dB and an anti-squeezing of 1.55 dB. We use 20 mW of input power to generate the parametric oscillator pump field by employing second harmonic generation on the same chip. Our work represents a substantial step toward compact and efficient quantum optical systems posed to leverage the rapid advances in integrated nonlinear and quantum photonics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Arbitrary electro-optic bandwidth and frequency control in lithium niobate optical resonators

In situ tunable photonic filters and memories are important for emerging quantum and classical optics technologies. However, most photonic devices have fixed resonances and bandwidths determined at the time of fabrication. Here we present an in situ tunable optical resonator on thin-film lithium niobate. By leveraging the linear electro-optic effect, we demonstrate widely tunable control over resonator frequency and bandwidth on two different devices. We observe up to $\sim50\times$ tuning in the bandwidth over $\sim50$ V with linear frequency control of $\sim230$ MHz/V. We also develop a closed-form model predicting the tuning behavior of the device. This paves the way for rapid phase and amplitude control over light transmitted through our device.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Integrated frequency-modulated optical parametric oscillator

Optical frequency combs have revolutionized precision measurement, time-keeping, and molecular spectroscopy. A substantial effort has developed around "microcombs": integrating comb-generating technologies into compact, reliable photonic platforms. Current approaches for generating these microcombs involve either the electro-optic (EO) or Kerr mechanisms. Despite rapid progress, maintaining high efficiency and wide bandwidth remains challenging. Here, we introduce a new class of microcomb -- an integrated optical frequency comb generator that combines electro-optics and parametric amplification to yield a frequency-modulated optical parametric oscillator (FM-OPO). In stark contrast to EO and Kerr combs, the FM-OPO microcomb does not form pulses but maintains operational simplicity and highly efficient pump power utilization with an output resembling a frequency-modulated laser. We outline the working principles of FM-OPO and demonstrate them by fabricating the complete optical system in thin-film lithium niobate (LNOI). We measure pump to comb internal conversion efficiency exceeding 93% (34% out-coupled) over a nearly flat-top spectral distribution spanning approximately 1,000 modes (approximately 6 THz). Compared to an EO comb, the cavity dispersion rather than loss determines the FM-OPO bandwidth, enabling broadband combs with a smaller RF modulation power. The FM-OPO microcomb, with its robust operational dynamics, high efficiency, and large bandwidth, contributes a new approach to the field of microcombs and promises to herald an era of miniaturized precision measurement, and spectroscopy tools to accelerate advancements in metrology, spectroscopy, telecommunications, sensing, and computing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Integrated Quantum Optical Phase Sensor

The quantum noise of light fundamentally limits optical phase sensors. A semiclassical picture attributes this noise to the random arrival time of photons from a coherent light source such as a laser. An engineered source of squeezed states suppresses this noise and allows sensitivity beyond the standard quantum limit (SQL) for phase detection. Advanced gravitational wave detectors like LIGO have already incorporated such sources, and nascent efforts in realizing quantum biological measurements have provided glimpses into new capabilities emerging in quantum measurement. We need ways to engineer and use quantum light within deployable quantum sensors that operate outside the confines of a lab environment. Here we present a photonic integrated circuit fabricated in thin-film lithium niobate that provides a path to meet these requirements. We use the second-order nonlinearity to produce a squeezed state at the same frequency as the pump light and realize circuit control and sensing with electro-optics. Using a 26.2 milliwatts of optical power, we measure (2.7 $\pm$ 0.2 )$\%$ squeezing and apply it to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of phase measurement. We anticipate that on-chip photonic systems like this, which operate with low power and integrate all of the needed functionality on a single die, will open new opportunities for quantum optical sensing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

High quantum efficiency parametric amplification via hybridized nonlinear optics

Parametric amplifiers have allowed breakthroughs in ultrafast, strong-field, and high-energy density laser science and are an essential tool for extending the frequency range of powerful emerging diode-pumped solid-state laser technology. However, their impact is limited by inherently low quantum efficiency due to nonuniform light extraction. Here we demonstrate a new type of parametric amplifier based on hybridized nonlinear optics. Hybridization of parametric amplification with idler second harmonic generation induces unusual evolution dynamics for a fully parametric amplifier - with saturating rather than cyclic gain - observed here for the first time. This allows highly uniform light extraction enabling unprecedented efficiency for a lossless amplifier with Gaussian-like intensity profiles - a 48-dB single-stage gain with 68% quantum efficiency and 44% pump-to-signal energy conversion - a several-fold improvement over the standard. Possessing both laser-like high quantum efficiency and the advantages of thermal-loading free parametric systems, this simple approach can be implemented widely and have significant impact by increasing several-fold the power available for science and industry.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Femtojoule, femtosecond all-optical switching in lithium niobate nanophotonics

Optical nonlinear functions are crucial for various applications in integrated photonics, such as all-optical information processing, photonic neural networks and on-chip ultrafast light sources. Due to the weak nonlinearities in most integrated photonic platforms, realizing optical nonlinear functions typically requires large driving energies in the picojoules level or beyond, thus imposing a barrier for most applications. Here, we tackle this challenge and demonstrate an integrated nonlinear splitter device in lithium niobate nano-waveguides by simultaneous engineering of the dispersion and quasi-phase matching. We achieve non-resonant all-optical switching with ultra-low energies down to tens of femtojoules, a near instantaneous switching time of 18 fs, and a large extinction ratio of more than 5 dB. Our nonlinear splitter simultaneously realizes switch-on and -off operations and features a state-of-the-art switching energy-time product as low as $1.4 \times10^{-27}$ J$\cdot$s. We also show a path toward attojoule level all-optical switching by further optimizing the device geometry. Our results can enable on-chip ultrafast and energy-efficient all-optical information processing, computing systems, and light sources.

physics.optics↗