Strong-coupling and high-bandwidth cavity electro-optic modulation for advanced pulse-comb synthesis

Tianqi Lei; Yunxiang Song; Yanyun Xue; Qihuang Gong; Marko Lončar; Yaowen Hu

doi:10.1038/s41377-025-02046-y

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Strong-coupling and high-bandwidth cavity electro-optic modulation for advanced pulse-comb synthesis

Original Articles

- Strong-coupling and high-bandwidth cavity electro-optic modulation for advanced pulse-comb synthesis
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 14, Issue 12, Pages: 4028-4039(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
  2.John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
  3.Quantum Science and Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
  4.Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
- Author bio：
  
  Marko Lončar (loncar@seas.harvard.edu)
  Yaowen Hu (yaowenhu@pku.edu.cn)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-025-02046-y
  CLC：
- Received：22 April 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-08-26，
  
  Accepted：09 September 2025，
  
  Published Online：22 October 2025，
  
  Published：31 December 2025
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Lei, T. Q. et al. Strong-coupling and high-bandwidth cavity electro-optic modulation for advanced pulse-comb synthesis. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 4028-4039 (2025).
DOI：

Lei, T. Q. et al. Strong-coupling and high-bandwidth cavity electro-optic modulation for advanced pulse-comb synthesis. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 4028-4039 (2025). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-02046-y.

摘要

Abstract

Cavity electro-optic (EO) modulation plays a pivotal role in optical pulse and frequency comb synthesis

supporting a wide range of applications including communication

computing

ranging

and quantum information. The ever-growing demand for these applications has driven efforts in enhancing modulation coupling strength and bandwidth towards advanced pulse-comb synthesis. However

the effects of strong-coupling and high-bandwidth cavity EO modulation remain underexplored

due to the lack of a general

unified model that captures this extreme condition. In this work

we present a universal framework for pulse-comb synthesis under cavity EO modulation

where coupling strength and modulation bandwidth far exceed the cavity’s free spectral range (FSR). We show that

under such intense and ultrafast driving conditions

EO-driven frequency combs and pulses exhibit rich higher-order nonlinear dynamics

including temporal pulse compression and comb generation with arbitrary pump detuning. Leveraging this framework

we reveal a direct link between the higher-order dynamics of EO pulse-comb generation and the band structure of synthetic dimension. Furthermore

we demonstrate arbitrary comb shaping via machine-learning-based inverse microwave drive design

achieving a tenfold enhancement in cavity EO comb flatness by exploring the synergistic effects of high-bandwidth driving and detuning-induced frequency boundaries. Our findings push cavity EO modulation into a new frontier

unlocking significant potential for universal and machine-learning-programmable EO frequency combs

topological photonics

as well as photonic quantum computing in the strong-coupling and high-bandwidth regimes.

关键词

Keywords

references

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