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Vladimir A. Aksyuk

Publications and source records attributed to Vladimir A. Aksyuk.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Batch-fabrication of all-dielectric vapor cells enabling optically addressed Rydberg atom electrometry

Millimeter-scale atomic vapor cells can be accurately and economically batch-fabricated by anodically bonding silicon and glass wafers, enabling the manufacturing of miniature atomic clocks and quantum sensors. However, silicon's high dielectric constant and conductive losses at millimeter wave frequencies limit its suitability for Rydberg-atom electrometry, which enables highly sensitive electric-field measurements by exploiting the extreme polarizability of Rydberg states in alkali atoms. To address this, we present an all-glass wafer-level microfabrication process that eliminates silicon, creating hermetically sealed vapor cells that are stable over long timelines with embedded cesium dispensers. Femtosecond laser machining precisely defines the cell geometry, and laser-activated alkali loading ensures reliable filling. We demonstrate long-term vacuum stability and robust Rydberg excitation through electromagnetically induced transparency measurements. We then use these cells to measure a 34 GHz millimeter wave field resonant with the $58D_{5/2}\rightarrow 60P_{3/2}$ transition using Autler-Townes splitting and observe the expected linear dependence with field strength. This work demonstrates that the all-glass bonding approach offers a highly durable low-loss cell alternative for miniaturized millimeter wave and microwave quantum sensing, with the potential to flexibly incorporate a range of other dielectric and semiconductor materials and integrate with photonic and electronic technologies.

physics.atom-ph↗

A scalable infrastructure for strontium optical clocks with integrated photonics

Optical atomic clocks provide exceptionally accurate and precise signals for timekeeping and precision measurements, but they require high-power, free-space laser configurations that limit scalability. We introduce and explore a scalable infrastructure for strontium (Sr) optical-lattice clocks that incorporates co-design of atomic-beam slowing and a magneto-optical trap (MOT) from an effusion source, generation of complex, three-dimensional free-space laser configurations with a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) and metasurface (MS) optics, and laser stabilization to a frequency-comb supercontinuum generated with integrated nonlinear photonics. With these elements, we realize MOTs of all stable strontium isotopes ($^{84}$Sr, $^{86}$Sr, $^{87}$Sr, $^{88}$Sr) with populations commensurate with natural abundances, demonstrating precise beam control and robustness. Access to laser-cooled alkaline-earth atoms with scalable integrated photonics enables system engineering for optical clocks, quantum sensing, and quantum information, and our experiments demonstrate extensible technologies that advance toward a Sr optical clock largely free of bulk optics.

physics.app-ph↗

Chip-scale sub-Doppler atomic spectroscopy enabled by a metasurface integrated photonic emitter

We demonstrate chip-scale sub-Doppler spectroscopy in an integrated and fiber-coupled photonic-metasurface device. The device is a stack of three planar components: a photonic mode expanding grating emitter circuit with a monolithically integrated tilt compensating dielectric metasurface, a microfabricated atomic vapor cell and a mirror. The metasurface photonic circuit efficiently emits a 130 micrometer-wide $1/e^2$ diameter) collimated surface-normal beam with only -6.3 dB loss and couples the reflected beam back into the connecting fiber, requiring no alignment between the stacked components. We develop a simple model based on light propagation through the photonic device to interpret the atomic spectroscopy signals and explain spectral features covering the full Rb hyperfine state manifold.

physics.optics↗

Low-power, agile electro-optic frequency comb spectrometer for integrated sensors

Sensing platforms based upon photonic integrated circuits have shown considerable promise; however, they require corresponding advancements in integrated optical readout technologies. Here, we present an on-chip spectrometer that leverages an integrated thin-film lithium niobate modulator to produce a frequency-agile electro-optic frequency comb for interrogating chip-scale temperature and acceleration sensors. The chirped comb process allows for ultralow radiofrequency drive voltages, which are as much as seven orders of magnitude less than the lowest found in the literature and are generated using a chip-scale, microcontroller-driven direct digital synthesizer. The on-chip comb spectrometer is able to simultaneously interrogate both an on-chip temperature sensor and an off-chip, microfabricated optomechanical accelerometer with cutting-edge sensitivities of $\approx 5\ μ \mathrm{K} \cdot \mathrm{Hz}^{-1/2}$ and $\approx 130\ μ\mathrm{m} \cdot \mathrm{s}^{-2} \cdot \mathrm{Hz}^{-1/2}$, respectively. This platform is compatible with a broad range of existing photonic integrated circuit technologies, where its combination of frequency agility and ultralow radiofrequency power requirements are expected to have applications in fields such as quantum science and optical computing.

physics.optics↗

Optical MEMS Design for Telecommunications Applications

As optical telecommunication networks become more complex, there is an emerging need for systems capable of very complex switching and manipulation of large numbers of optical signals. MEMS enable these systems by combining excellent capabilities and optical properties of macroscopic optomechanics with dense integration of multiple actuators on a single chip. Such optical MEMS present common design and process challenges, such as multiple electrical and optical IO, optical surface quality, optical integration density (fill factor) and actuator performance and reliability. We have used general design approaches such as pure-flexure design, electrostatic actuation and residual stress engineering in addressing these challenges. On several examples in this paper we illustrate these approaches along with underlying design tradeoffs and process requirements. We also describe specific numerical techniques useful for electrostatic actuator optimization and for analyzing the effects of residual stress.

physics.app-ph↗

Bound-state-in-continuum guided modes in a multilayer electro-optically active photonic integrated circuit platform

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) are localized states existing within a continuous spectrum of delocalized waves. Emerging multilayer photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platforms allow implementation of low index 1D guided modes within a high-index 2D slab mode continuum; however, conventional wisdom suggests that this always leads to large radiation losses. Here we demonstrate low-loss BIC guided modes for multiple mode polarizations and spatial orders in single- and multi-ridge low-index waveguides within a two-layer heterogeneously integrated electro-optically active photonic platform. The transverse electric (TE) polarized quasi-BIC guided mode with low, <1.4 dB/cm loss enables a Mach-Zehnder electro-optic amplitude modulator comprising a single straight Si3N4 ridge waveguide integrated with a continuous LiNbO3 slab layer. The abrupt optical transitions at the edges of the slab function as compact and efficient directional couplers eliminating the need for additional components. The modulator exhibits a low insertion loss of 2.3 dB and a high extinction ratio of 25 dB. The developed general theoretical model may enable innovative BIC-based approaches for important PIC functions, such as agile spectral filtering and switching, and may suggest new photonic architectures for quantum and neural network applications based on controlled interactions between multiple guided and delocalized modes.

physics.optics↗

Fractional optical angular momentum and multi-defect-mediated mode re-normalization and orientation control in photonic crystal microring resonators

Whispering gallery modes (WGMs) in circularly symmetric optical microresonators exhibit integer quantized angular momentum numbers due to the boundary condition imposed by the geometry. Here, we show that incorporating a photonic crystal pattern in an integrated microring can result in WGMs with fractional optical angular momentum. By choosing the photonic crystal periodicity to open a photonic bandgap with a band-edge momentum lying between that of two WGMs of the unperturbed ring, we observe hybridized WGMs with half-integer quantized angular momentum numbers ($m \in \mathbb{Z}$ + 1/2). Moreover, we show that these modes with fractional angular momenta exhibit high optical quality factors with good cavity-waveguide coupling and an order of magnitude reduced group velocity. Additionally, by introducing multiple artificial defects, multiple modes can be localized to small volumes within the ring, while the relative orientation of the de-localized band-edge states can be well-controlled. Our work unveils the renormalization of WGMs by the photonic crystal, demonstrating novel fractional angular momentum states and nontrivial multi-mode orientation control arising from continuous rotational symmetry breaking. The findings are expected to be useful for sensing/metrology, nonlinear optics, and cavity quantum electrodynamics.

physics.optics↗

Highly-twisted states of light from a high quality factor photonic crystal ring

Twisted light with orbital angular momentum (OAM) has been extensively studied for applications in quantum and classical communications, microscopy, and optical micromanipulation. Ejecting the naturally high angular momentum whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of an optical microresonator through a grating-assisted mechanism, where the generated OAM number ($l$) is the difference of the angular momentum of the WGM and that of the grating, provides a scalable, chip-integrated solution for OAM generation. However, demonstrated OAM microresonators have exhibited a much lower quality factor ($Q$) than conventional WGM resonators (by $>100\times$), and an understanding of the ultimate limits on $Q$ has been lacking. This is crucial given the importance of $Q$ in enhancing light-matter interactions, such as single emitter coupling and parametric nonlinear processes, that underpin many important microresonator applications. Moreover, though high-OAM states are often desirable, the limits on what is achievable in a microresonator configuration are not well understood. Here, we provide new physical insight on these two longstanding questions, through understanding OAM from the perspective of mode coupling in a photonic crystal ring, and linking it to the commonly studied case of coherent backscattering between counter-propagating WGMs. In addition to demonstrating high-$Q$ ($10^5$ to $10^6$), high estimated OAM ejection efficiency (up to $90~\%$), and high-OAM number (up to $l$ = 60), our empirical model is supported by experiments and provides a quantitative explanation for the behavior of $Q$ and OAM ejection efficiency with $l$ for the first time. The state-of-the-art performance and new understanding of the physics of microresonator OAM generation will open new opportunities for realizing OAM applications using chip-integrated technologies.

physics.optics↗

Persistent nonlinear phase-locking and non-monotonic energy dissipation in micromechanical resonators

Many nonlinear systems are described by eigenmodes with amplitude-dependent frequencies, interacting strongly whenever the frequencies become commensurate at internal resonances. Fast energy exchange via the resonances holds the key to rich dynamical behavior, such as time-varying relaxation rates and signatures of nonergodicity in thermal equilibrium, revealed in the recent experimental and theoretical studies of micro and nanomechanical resonators. However, a universal yet intuitive physical description for these diverse and sometimes contradictory experimental observations remains elusive. Here we experimentally reveal persistent nonlinear phase-locked states occurring at internal resonances and demonstrate that they are essential for understanding the transient dynamics of nonlinear systems with coupled eigenmodes. The measured dynamics of a fully observable micromechanical resonator system are quantitatively described by the lower frequency mode entering, maintaining, and exiting a persistent phase-locked period tripling state generated by the nonlinear driving force exerted by the higher frequency mode. This model describes the observed phase-locked coherence times, the direction and magnitude of the energy exchange, and the resulting non-monotonic mode energy evolution. Depending on the initial relative phase, the system selects distinct relaxation pathways, either entering or bypassing the locked state. The described persistent phase-locking is not limited to particular frequency fractions or types of nonlinearities and may advance nonlinear resonator systems engineering across physical domains, including photonics as well as nanomechanics.

nlin.CD↗

Exceptional points in lossy media enable decay-free wave propagation

Waves entering a spatially uniform lossy medium typically undergo exponential decay, arising from either the energy loss of the Beer-Lambert-Bouguer transmission law or the evanescent penetration during reflection. Recently, exceptional point singularities in non-Hermitian systems have been linked to unconventional wave propagation, such as the predicted extremely spatially broad constant-intensity guided modes. Despite such promises, the possibility of decay-free wave propagation in a purely lossy medium has been neither theoretically suggested nor experimentally realized until now. Here we discover and experimentally demonstrate decay-free wave propagation accompanied by a striking uniformly distributed energy loss across arbitrary thicknesses of a homogeneous periodically nanostructured waveguiding medium with exceptional points. Predicted by coupled-mode theory and supported by fully vectorial electromagnetic simulations, hundreds-of-waves deep penetration manifesting spatially constant radiation losses are experimentally observed in photonic slab waveguides. The uniform, decay-free radiative energy loss is measured across the entire structured waveguide region, regardless of its length. While the demonstrated constant-intensity radiation finds an immediate application for generating large, uniform and surface-normal free-space plane waves directly from the photonic chip surface, the uncovered decay-free wave phenomenon is universal and holds true across all domains supporting physical waves, opening new horizons for dispersion-engineered materials empowered by exceptional point physics.

physics.optics↗

Surface-Normal Free-Space Beam Projection via Slow-Light Standing Wave Resonances in Extra-Large Near-Zero Index Grating Couplers

On-chip grating couplers directly connect photonic circuits to free-space light. The commonly used photonic gratings have been specialized for small areas, specific intensity profiles and non-vertical beam projection. This falls short of the precise and flexible wavefront control over large beam areas needed to empower emerging integrated miniaturized optical systems that leverage volumetric light matter interactions, including trapping, cooling, and interrogation of atoms, bio- and chemi- sensing and complex free-space interconnect. The large coupler size challenges general inverse design techniques, and solutions obtained by them are often difficult to physically understand and generalize. Here by posing the problem to a carefully constrained computational inverse design algorithm capable of large area structures, we discover a qualitatively new class of grating couplers. The numerically found solutions can be understood as coupling an incident photonic slab mode to a spatially extended slow-light (near-zero refractive index) region, backed by a Bragg reflector. The structure forms a spectrally broad standing wave resonance at the target wavelength, radiating vertically into free space. A reflection-less adiabatic transition critically couples the incident photonic mode to the resonance, and the numerically optimized lower cladding provides 70 $\%$ overall theoretical conversion efficiency. We have experimentally validated efficient surface normal collimated emission of $\approx$ 90 $μ$m full width at half maximum Gaussian at the thermally tunable operating wavelength of $\approx$ 780 nm. The variable-mesh-deformation inverse design approach scales to extra-large photonic devices, while directly implementing the fabrication constraints. The deliberate choice of smooth parametrization resulted in a novel type of solution, which is both efficient and physically comprehensible.

physics.optics↗

Searching for the Casimir Energy

In this article, we present a nano-electromechanical system (NEMS) designed to detect changes in the Casimir Energy. The Casimir effect is a result of the appearance of quantum fluctuations in the electromagnetic vacuum. Previous experiments have used nano- or micro- scale parallel plate capacitors to detect the Casimir force by measuring the small attractive force these fluctuations exert between the two surfaces. In this new set of experiments, we aim to directly detect shifts in the Casimir $\textit{energy}$ in the vacuum due to the presence of metallic parallel plates, one of which is a superconductor. A change in the Casimir energy of this configuration is predicted to shift the superconducting transition temperature (T$_\textrm{c}$) because of an interaction between it and the superconducting condensation energy. The experiment we discuss consists of taking a superconducting film, carefully measuring its transition temperature, bringing a conducting plate close to the film, creating a Casimir cavity, and then measuring the transition temperature again. The expected shifts will be small, comparable to the normal shifts one sees in cycling superconducting films to cryogenic temperatures and so using a NEMS resonator and doing this in situ is the only practical way to obtain accurate, reproducible data. Using a thin Pb film and opposing Au surface, we observe no shift in T$_\textrm{c}$ greater than 12 $μ$K down to a minimum spacing of approximately 70 nm.

physics.app-ph↗

Subnanometer localization accuracy in widefield optical microscopy

The common assumption that precision is the limit of accuracy in localization microscopy and the typical absence of comprehensive calibration of optical microscopes lead to a widespread issue - overconfidence in measurement results with nanoscale statistical uncertainties that can be invalid due to microscale systematic errors. In this article, we report a comprehensive solution to this underappreciated problem. We develop arrays of subresolution apertures into the first reference materials that enable localization errors approaching the atomic scale across a submillimeter field. We present novel methods for calibrating our microscope system using aperture arrays and develop aberration corrections that reach the precision limit of our reference materials. We correct and register localization data from multiple colors and test different sources of light emission with equal accuracy, indicating the general applicability of our reference materials and calibration methods. In a first application of our new measurement capability, we introduce the concept of critical dimension localization microscopy, facilitating tests of nanofabrication processes and quality control of aperture arrays. In a second application, we apply these stable reference materials to answer open questions about the apparent instability of fluorescent nanoparticles that commonly serve as fiducial markers. Our study establishes a foundation for subnanometer localization accuracy in widefield optical microscopy.

physics.ins-det↗

Photonic waveguide mode to free-space Gaussian beam extreme mode converter

Integration of photonic chips with atomic, micromechanical, chemical and biological systems can advance science and open many possibilities in chip-scale devices and technology. Compact photonic structures for direct coupling of light between high-index single-mode waveguides and arbitrary free-space modes spanning hundreds of waves in cross-section would eliminate bulky optical components and enable integration of photonics into many new applications requiring wide beams, structured light and centimeter-scale propagation distances with low diffraction-limited losses. Conventional fiber-coupling approaches do not scale well for accurate, low-loss coupling across the extremely large mode scale mismatch ($\approx10^6$ times in modal area). Here we present an extreme mode converter that can transform the photonic waveguide mode to the diffraction-limited, free-space Gaussian beam, with a beam waist of about $160~μ$m. Using two identical converters, we demonstrate a grating-to-grating coupling that couples the radiating beam back to the chip through a mirror reflection in free-space. Operating at 780~nm for integration with chip-scale atomic vapor cell cavities, our design can be adapted for visible, telecommunication or other wavelengths. Furthermore, other types of beams can be implemented by using the 2-stage expansion approach presented in this paper.

physics.app-ph↗

Injection-locked phonon lasing driven by an individual plasmonic metamolecule

Nanophotonic devices take advantage of geometry-dependent optical properties to confine and enhance the interaction of light with matter on small scales. By carefully patterning nanoscale geometries, coupling of responses across distinct physical domains can be achieved, such as photon and phonon modes in optomechanical crystals. Extreme optical confinement of plasmonics can localize strong cross-domain interactions into nanometer-scale volumes, smaller than many nanosystem's thermal and mechanical eigenmodes, opening new regimes for engineering reconfigurable, dynamic nanosystems. Here, we present a nanosystem based on an electrically actuated, mechanically coupled gap-plasmon metamolecule resonator. Integrated electrical actuation reveals distinct dispersive and reactive optomechanical coupling regimes of the metamolecules, and enables both broad spectral tuning of individual plasmonic resonances and selective optical transduction of nanomechanical modes. Strong thermomechanical backaction from a single point-like metamolecule yields optically driven self-oscillation, and we show that this metamolecule phonon laser can be injection-locked to enhance weak mechanical stimulii. This multi-domain nanosystem advances nanomechanical sensing and optical modulation, opens new avenues for studying nanoscale nonlinear optomechanics, and may serve as a building block for future reconfigurable "smart" metamaterials.

physics.optics↗

Imaging Nanophotonic Modes of Microresonators using a Focused Ion Beam

Optical microresonators have proven powerful in a wide range of applications, including cavity quantum electrodynamics, biosensing, microfludics, and cavity optomechanics. Their performance depends critically on the exact distribution of optical energy, confined and shaped by the nanoscale device geometry. Near-field optical probes can image this distribution, but the physical probe necessarily perturbs the near field, which is particularly problematic for sensitive high quality factor resonances. We present a new approach to mapping nanophotonic modes that uses a controllably small and local optomechanical perturbation introduced by a focused lithium ion beam. An ion beam (radius about 50 nm) induces a picometer-scale dynamic deformation of the resonator surface, which we detect through a shift in the optical resonance wavelength. We map five modes of a silicon microdisk resonator (Q > 20,000) with both high spatial and spectral resolution. Our technique also enables in-situ observation of ion implantation damage and relaxation dynamics in a silicon lattice.

physics.optics↗

Design and modeling of an ultra-compact 2x2 nanomechanical plasmonic switch

A 2x2 Mach-Zehnder optical switch design with a footprint of 0.5 $μ$m x 2.5 $μ$m using nanomechanical gap plasmon phase modulators [arXiv:1410.0273] is presented. The extremely small footprint and modest optical loss are enabled by the strong phase modulation of gap plasmons in a mechanically actuated 17 nm air gap. Frequency-domain finite-element modeling at 780 nm shows that the insertion loss is ${\leq}$ 8.5 dB, the extinction ratio is > 25 dB, and crosstalk for all ports is > 24 dB. A design optimization approach and its dependence on geometrical parameters are discussed.

physics.optics↗

Strong Casimir force reduction through metallic surface nanostructuring

The Casimir force between bodies in vacuum can be understood as arising from their interaction with an infinite number of fluctuating electromagnetic quantum vacuum modes, resulting in a complex dependence on the shape and material of the interacting objects. Becoming dominant at small separations, the force plays a significant role in nanomechanics and object manipulation at the nanoscale, leading to a considerable interest in identifying structures where the Casimir interaction behaves significantly different from the well-known attractive force between parallel plates. Here we experimentally demonstrate that by nanostructuring one of the interacting metal surfaces at scales below the plasma wavelength, an unexpected regime in the Casimir force can be observed. Replacing a flat surface with a deep metallic lamellar grating with sub-100 nm features strongly suppresses the Casimir force and for large inter-surfaces separations reduces it beyond what would be expected by any existing theoretical prediction.

quant-ph↗