Pockels laser directly driving ultrafast optical metrology

Shixin Xue; Mingxiao Li; Raymond Lopez-rios; Jingwei Ling; Zhengdong Gao; Qili Hu; Tian Qiu; Jeremy Staffa; Lin Chang; Heming Wang; Chao Xiang; John E. Bowers; Qiang Lin

doi:10.1038/s41377-025-01872-4

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Pockels laser directly driving ultrafast optical metrology

Original Articles

- Pockels laser directly driving ultrafast optical metrology
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 14, Issue 8, Pages: 2187-2197(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
  2.Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
  3.Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
- Author bio：
  
  John E. Bowers (jbowers@ucsb.edu)
  Qiang Lin (qiang.lin@rochester.edu)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-025-01872-4
  CLC：
- Received：24 November 2024，
  
  Revised：08 April 2025，
  
  Accepted：21 April 2025，
  
  Published Online：30 May 2025，
  
  Published：31 August 2025
- Accepted：
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Xue, S. X. et al. Pockels laser directly driving ultrafast optical metrology. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 2187-2197 (2025).
DOI：

Xue, S. X. et al. Pockels laser directly driving ultrafast optical metrology. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 2187-2197 (2025). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-01872-4.

摘要

Abstract

The invention of the laser unleashed the potential of optical metrology

leading to numerous advancements in modern science and technology. This reliance on lasers

however

also introduces a bottleneck for precision optical metrology

as it requires sophisticated photonic infrastructure for precise laser-wave control

leading to limited metrology performance and significant system complexity. Here

we take a key step toward overcoming this challenge by demonstrating a Pockels laser with multifunctional capabilities that elevate optical metrology to a new level. The chip-scale laser achieves a narrow intrinsic linewidth down to 167 Hz and a broad mode-hop-free tuning range up to 24 GHz. In particular

it delivers an unprecedented frequency chirping rate of up to 20 EHz/s and an exceptional modulation bandwidth exceeding 10 GHz

both of which are orders of magnitude greater than those of existing lasers. Leveraging this laser

we successfully achieve velocimetry at 40 m/s over a short distance of 0.4 m

and measurable velocities up to the first cosmic velocity at 1 m away—a feat unattainable with conventional ranging approaches. At the same time

we achieve distance metrology with a ranging resolution of < 2 cm. Furthermore

for the first time to our knowledge

we implement a dramatically simplified architecture for laser frequency stabilization by directly locking the laser to an external reference gas cell without requiring additional external light control. This approach enables long-term laser stability with a frequency fluctuation of only ±6.5 MHz over 60 min. The demonstrated Pockels laser combines elegantly high laser coherence with ultrafast frequency reconfigurability and superior multifunctional capability. We envision its profound impact across diverse fields including communication

sensing

autonomous driving

quantum information processing

and beyond.

关键词

Keywords

references

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