Event Details

Frequency synthesis is ubiquitous in all aspects of our modern technological society, with examples being found in wide ranging applications from computing, communications and navigation systems to sensors and scientific instrumentation. Historically, the generation and precise control of electromagnetic radiation has been confined to the radio frequency and microwave domains, but “light gears” based on optical frequency combs provide the opportunity to dramatically expand the synthesis bandwidth to cover the entire terahertz and optical domains as well. In this talk, I will describe the laser and photonic tools we use to synthesize light with precise control over its phase and frequency. This is the basis of a new generation of optical clocks that now track time to 18 digits, as well as the driver of applications we are pursuing in fields ranging from infrared molecular hyperspectral imaging to astronomy. I will also present light synthesizers based on parametric oscillation in low-loss microresonators. Such miniature devices open the possibility for optical frequency synthesis on a photonic-integrated-chip that will be an enabler of future technological and scientific advances.

Video Recording