オブジェクトを超高速で測定する 1 セントよりも小さな新レーザー (New laser smaller than a penny can measure objects at ultrafast rates)

2025-05-30 アメリカ合衆国・ロチェスター大学

SMALL AND POWERFUL: A new chip-scale laser developed by researchers in the lab of engineering professor Qiang Lin can conduct extremely fast and accurate measurements by very precisely changing its color across a broad spectrum of light at very fast rates. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

＜関連情報＞

• https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/chip-scale-laser-ultrafast-optical-metrology-655642/
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-025-01872-4

ポッケルスレーザーによる超高速光学計測の直接駆動 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
Light: Science & Applications  Published:30 May 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01872-4

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.