From Classical Four-Wave Mixing to Parametric Fluorescence in Silicon micro-ring resonators

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that in silicon micro-ring resonators, classical four-wave mixing efficiency can predict quantum parametric fluorescence, enabling simpler characterization of quantum nonlinear properties through classical experiments.

Contribution

It reveals a simple, non-dependence relation between classical FWM and quantum parametric fluorescence in micro-ring resonators, bridging classical and quantum nonlinear optics.

Findings

Classical FWM efficiency predicts quantum parametric fluorescence power.

The relation between the two processes is independent of ring size and nonlinearity.

Classical nonlinear characterization can inform about quantum properties.

Abstract

Four-wave mixing can be stimulated or occur spontaneously. The first process is intrinsically much stronger, and well understood through classical nonlinear optics. The latter, also known as parametric fluorescence, can be explained only in the framework of a quantum theory of light. We experimentally demonstrate that, in a micro-ring resonator, there exists a simple relation between the efficiencies of these two processes, which is independent of the nonlinearity and size of the ring. In particular we show that the average power generated by parametric fluorescence can be immediately estimated from a classical FWM experiment. These results suggest that classical nonlinear characterization of a photonic integrated structure can provide accurate information on its nonlinear quantum properties.