Abstract: A polarization alteration device includes a resonator cavity having a resonance mode at a resonance wavelength and a linewidth. The resonator is configured to exhibit no intensity-independent birefringence or an intensity-independent birefringence, whose effect on a light wave confined in the resonator cavity is smaller than the linewidth of the resonance mode. The polarization alteration device is configured to exhibit a Kerr nonlinearity adapted to generate an additional polarization component due to symmetry breaking for a light wave confined in the resonator cavity having a light intensity exceeding a threshold intensity. The polarization direction of the additional polarization component is orthogonal to an initial polarization component of the light wave coupled into the resonator cavity. A polarization control device, a polarization sensor, a method for adjusting the polarization of a light wave and a method for sensing a change of a polarization of a light wave are further disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus and technique are used to fabricate optical microresonators. A fabrication chamber contains all fabrication materials and devices. The microresonators are fabricated from a glass preform mounted on a motorized spindle. A laser is focused onto the preform to partly or fully impinge on the preform. The laser's focus position is controlled by changing the positioning of a lens mounted on a translation stage. Piezoelectric control elements may be mounted to finished microresonators to control of nonlinear parametric oscillation and four-wave mixing effects of the microresonator, control of nonlinear optical stimulated Brillouin scattering and Raman effects of said microresonator and wideband tuning of the frequency spacing between the output modes of a nonlinear-Kerr-effect optical frequency comb generated with said microresonator.

Abstract: An apparatus and technique are used to fabricate optical microresonators. A fabrication chamber contains all fabrication materials and devices. The microresonators are fabricated from a glass preform mounted on a motorized spindle. A laser is focused onto the preform to partly or fully impinge on the preform. The laser's focus position is controlled by changing the positioning of a lens mounted on a translation stage. Piezoelectric control elements may be mounted to finished microresonators to control of nonlinear parametric oscillation and four-wave mixing effects of the microresonator, control of nonlinear optical stimulated Brillouin scattering and Raman effects of said microresonator and wideband tuning of the frequency spacing between the output modes of a nonlinear-Kerr-effect optical frequency comb generated with said microresonator.

Abstract: An optical frequency comb generator includes a laser device arranged for generating input laser light having a predetermined input light frequency, a dielectric micro-resonator having a cavity exhibiting a third order nonlinearity, so that the micro-resonator is capable of optical parametric generation providing parametrically generated light, and a waveguide optically coupled to the micro-resonator, the waveguide being arranged for in-coupling the input laser light into the micro-resonator and out-coupling the parametrically generated light out of the micro-resonator, wherein the laser device, the waveguide and the micro-resonator being arranged for resonantly in-coupling the laser input light to a mode of the micro-resonator with a minimum power level so that an optical field inside the cavity exceeds a predetermined cascaded parametric oscillation threshold at which the parametrically generated light includes frequencies of frequency sidebands of the input light frequency and of the sidebands thereof.

Abstract: An optical frequency comb generator includes a laser device arranged for generating input laser light having a predetermined input light frequency, a dielectric micro-resonator having a cavity exhibiting a third order nonlinearity, so that the micro-resonator is capable of optical parametric generation providing parametrically generated light, and a waveguide optically coupled to the micro-resonator, the waveguide being arranged for in-coupling the input laser light into the micro-resonator and out-coupling the parametrically generated light out of the micro-resonator, wherein the laser device, the waveguide and the micro-resonator being arranged for resonantly in-coupling the laser input light to a mode of the micro-resonator with a minimum power level so that an optical field inside the cavity exceeds a predetermined cascaded parametric oscillation threshold at which the parametrically generated light includes frequencies of frequency sidebands of the input light frequency and of the sidebands thereof.