Degeneracy-Locked Optical Parametric Oscillator

Degeneracy-Locked Optical Parametric Oscillator | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Degeneracy-Locked Optical Parametric Oscillator Hong Tang, Fengyan Yang, Jiacheng Xie, Yiyu Zhou, Yubo Wang, Chengxing He, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6257299/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Photonics → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are widely utilized in photonics as classical and quantum light sources. Conventional OPOs produce co-propagating signal and idler waves that can be either degenerately or non-degenerately phase-matched. This configuration, however, makes it challenging to separate signal and idler waves and also renders their frequencies highly sensitive to external disturbances. Here, we demonstrate a degeneracy-locked OPO achieved through backward phase matching in a submicron periodically-poled thin-film lithium niobate microresonator. While the backward phase matching establishes frequency degeneracy of the signal and idler, the backscattering in the waveguide further ensures phase-locking between them. Their interplay permits the locking of the OPO's degeneracy over a broad parameter space, resulting in deterministic degenerate OPO initiation and robust operation against both pump detuning and temperature fluctuations. This work thus provides a new approach for synchronized operations in nonlinear photonics and extends the functionality of optical parametric oscillators. With its potential for large-scale integration, it provides a chip-based platform for advanced applications, such as squeezed light generation, coherent optical computing, and investigations of complex nonlinear phenomena. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Applied optics/Integrated optics Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical physics/Nonlinear optics Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures/Microresonators Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale devices Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files DegeneracylockedOPOSupplement.pdf Supplementary material Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Photonics → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6257299","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":449304306,"identity":"34570f04-05db-43bd-afff-01dd58b7ab80","order_by":0,"name":"Hong 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Conventional OPOs produce co-propagating signal and idler waves that can be either degenerately or non-degenerately phase-matched. This configuration, however, makes it challenging to separate signal and idler waves and also renders their frequencies highly sensitive to external disturbances. Here, we demonstrate a degeneracy-locked OPO achieved through backward phase matching in a submicron periodically-poled thin-film lithium niobate microresonator. While the backward phase matching establishes frequency degeneracy of the signal and idler, the backscattering in the waveguide further ensures phase-locking between them. Their interplay permits the locking of the OPO's degeneracy over a broad parameter space, resulting in deterministic degenerate OPO initiation and robust operation against both pump detuning and temperature fluctuations. 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