Bistable random momentum transfer in a linear on-chip resonator

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a passive microresonator that produces binary, digitized outputs from chaotic optical modes, enabling high-contrast, high-speed optical signal conversion without active components.

Contribution

It introduces a novel passive microresonator design that leverages chaotic modes for real-time binary signal generation with high contrast and data rates.

Findings

Achieved binary outputs with >12.3 dB contrast

Data rates up to 100 Mbit/sec

Dynamic range of 20 dB

Abstract

Optical switches and bifurcation rely on the nonlinear response of materials. Here, we demonstrate linear temporal bifurcation responses in a passive multimode microresonator, with strongly coupled chaotic and whispering gallery modes or WGMs. In microdisks, the chaotic modes exhibit broadband transfer within the deformed cavities, but their transient response is less explored and yields a random output of the analog signal distributed uniformly from 0 to 1. Here, we build chaotic states by perturbing the multi-mode microring resonators with densely packed silicon nanocrystals on the waveguide surface. In vivo measurements reveal random and digitized output that ONLY populates around 0 and 1 intensity levels. The bus waveguide mode couples firstly to chaotic modes, then either dissipates or tunnels into stable WGMs. This binary pathway generates high-contrast, digitized outputs. The fully passive device enables real-time conversion of periodic clock signals into binary outputs with contrasts exceeding 12.3 dB, data rates of up to 100 Mbits per second, and 20dB dynamic range.