Microresonator soliton dual-comb spectroscopy

Citation:

Myoung-Gyun Suh, Qi-Fan Yang, Ki Youl Yang, Xu Yi, and Kerry J. Vahala. 2016. “Microresonator soliton dual-comb spectroscopy.” Science, 354, 6312, Pp. 600-603.

Abstract:

Dual-comb spectroscopy is a powerful technique that uses the interference of two closely related combs to map spectroscopic features directly into a frequency domain that can be read by electronics. Suh et al. developed a dual-comb spectroscopy approach using combs produced by silica microresonators fabricated on a silicon chip. Perhaps high-resolution spectroscopy will soon be shrunk to the chip scale, doing away with the need for bulky spectrometers. Science, this issue p. 600 Dual-comb spectroscopy is demonstrated using a pair of silica microresonators. Measurement of optical and vibrational spectra with high resolution provides a way to identify chemical species in cluttered environments and is of general importance in many fields. Dual-comb spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful approach for acquiring nearly instantaneous Raman and optical spectra with unprecedented resolution. Spectra are generated directly in the electrical domain, without the need for bulky mechanical spectrometers. We demonstrate a miniature soliton-based dual-comb system that can potentially transfer the approach to a chip platform. These devices achieve high-coherence pulsed mode locking. They also feature broad, reproducible spectral envelopes, an essential feature for dual-comb spectroscopy. Our work shows the potential for integrated spectroscopy with high signal-to-noise ratios and fast acquisition rates.