Diamond Photonics

Fourier-limited nanosecond pulses featuring narrow spectral bandwidths are required for applications in spectroscopy, sensing, and quantum optics. Here, we demonstrate a direct and simple route for the generation of single-frequency light relying on phonon-resonant Raman interactions within a monolithic diamond resonator.

Representative publications in this area:

Tunable lasers enable the study of electronic structure in atoms and molecules with high precision [ 1 ], granted that the parameters of excitation of light are matched to the quantum transitions in the species under study. In most cases, this implies that it is highly desirable to utilize lasers with emission linewidth matched to the experimental conditions, while maintaining the required wavelength tunability and peak power. For the particular application of resonance ionization spectroscopy (RIS), optimal efficiency requires that the laser linewidth is matched to the Doppler-broadened atomic lines, including fine and hyperfine structure splittings.

Diamond has been fascinating humanity for centuries, both for its rarity and its exceptional physical properties. Due to modern breakthroughs in synthetic diamond production, diamond is now widely available for a variety of scientific applications. The everlasting interest in diamond continues today in step with the development of new applications across different fields of science. As such, diamond holds promise to be one of the premier materials for quantum applications, including quantum computing, generation of single photons, quantum sensing and quantum memories.

Diamond has properties that make it highly attractive as a laser material, such as its exceptional thermal conductivity, wide band gap, and lack of firstorder IR absorption bands. Considerable efforts over the past two decades to realize semiconductor lasers, color center lasers, and rare-earth doped lasers based on doped diamond have not yet led to practical devices. The range of performance capabilities envisaged for diamond Raman lasers is essentially untapped, including operation in the transient picosecond regime to generate ultrafast tunable pulses across the optical spectrum.

Relevant publications in this area: