The role of the local density of optical states in the frequency conversion of light in a microcavity

Description

Converting light to a controllable frequency is well-known in traditional non-linear optics. In modern nanophotonics one frequency converts light which is trapped in a cavity or waveguide. Supposedly, the physics of frequency conversion differs between traditional non-linear optics and modern nanophotonics, regarding the rate of change and output spectrum. Here, we unify these disparate views. To this end, we consider a nanophotonic system, a planar microcavity, sustaining both a cavity resonance and a flat continuum of modes. We study the frequency conversion that occurs when the cavity is switched in an ultrafast way via the electronic Kerr effect [1]. We thereby observe either a red- or a blue-shift of the confined light, depending on the timing of the pulses in the pump-probe experiment. We study color-conversion for different quality factors, which allows us to identify the role of the local density of optical states available to the generated light.

Period	20 Mar 2015
Held at	DPG Frühjahrstagung 2015 Berlin
Event type	Conference
Location	Berlin, Germany
Degree of Recognition	International