Enhanced spectral sensitivity of a chip-scale photonic-crystal slow-light interferometer

Authors

Omar S. Magaña-Loaiza, University of Rochester Institute of Optics
Boshen Gao, University of Rochester Institute of Optics
Sebastian A. Schulz, University of Ottawa
Kashif M. Awan, University of Ottawa
Jeremy Upham, University of Ottawa
Ksenia Dolgaleva, University of Ottawa
Robert W. Boyd, University of Rochester Institute of Optics

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2016

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate that the spectral sensitivity of a Mach-Zehnder (MZ) interferometer can be enhanced through structural slow light. We observe a 20-fold resolution enhancement by placing a dispersion-engineered, slow-light, photonic-crystal waveguide in one arm of a fiber-based MZ interferometer. The spectral sensitivity of the interferometer increases roughly linearly with the group index, and we have quantified the resolution in terms of the spectral density of interference fringes. These results show promise for the use of slow-light methods for developing novel tools for optical metrology and, specifically, for compact high-resolution spectrometers.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Optics Letters

First Page

1431

Last Page

1434

Recommended Citation

Magaña-Loaiza, O., Gao, B., Schulz, S., Awan, K., Upham, J., Dolgaleva, K., & Boyd, R. (2016). Enhanced spectral sensitivity of a chip-scale photonic-crystal slow-light interferometer. Optics Letters, 41 (7), 1431-1434. https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.41.001431