International Day of Light (May 16, 2023)

When: Tuesday May 16, 2023, 11am-12pm

Where: Broad 100

followed by a social with lunch and refreshments in Moore Courtyard at 12pm

The International Day of Light is celebrated on May 16 each year, the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman. This day is a call to strengthen scientific cooperation and harness its potential to foster peace and sustainable development.

Join us for a special lecture delivered by Prof. Kerry Vahala (Ted and Ginger Jenkins Professor of Information Science and Technology and Applied Physics) to celebrate the International Day of Light!

Please RSVP here if you want to attend so we can order enough food: https://forms.gle/TPXHtSpWkpioWRqF6

Title: High-Q Integrated Photonics

Abstract: Optical resonators can be realized as tiny dielectric rings that support guided modes. These ‘microresonators' are often fabricated on semiconductor chips and can attain large Q factors exceeding 1 billion. Such high-Q rings boost weak optical inputs into high circulating intensities. Through their interaction with the ring dielectric, the resulting strong amplitude fields induce nonlinearities, transforming the passive microresonator into an active device with remarkable properties. After an overview of their history and early nonlinear-optical demonstrations, the application of high-Q microresonators to soliton microcombs will be reviewed. Additionally, integrated microcombs will be presented, and I will discuss their ability to function as frequency dividers in optical clocks and microwave signal sources. Finally, the possible limits of microresonator Q performance are considered.