Long-wavelength quantum and nonlinear photonics

While quantum and nonlinear photonic technologies are typically developed at shorter wavelengths, there are significant opportunities associated with moving to longer wavelengths. They are particularly valuable for sensing, classical and non-classical: mid-infrared’s ability to act as a molecular fingerprint holds promise for portable medicine, longwave infrared LIDAR can penetrate greater distances in inclement weather, and terahertz can noninvasively detect complex molecules such as explosives. It is it not only important to develop existing concepts at longer wavelengths, but it is also important to take advantage of the opportunities for when longer wavelengths enable new conceptual advances.

High-Q microresonators in the longwave-infrared, a platform we are investigating for classical and non-classical comb generation [2,3]

Optical-pump terahertz probe measurements of quantum material heterostructures [4]

Frequency-modulated combs, combs that we discovered can be described as ‘extendons,’ nonlinear waves that have constant intensity and represent the opposite of a soliton [5]

Publications

  1. Zhenyang Xiao, Mithun Roy, Chao Dong, Sadhvikas Addamane & Burghoff, D. “Delay-resolved spectroscopy in terahertz photonic circuits.” npj Nanophotonics 2, 1–7 (2025). (link)
  2. Dingding Ren, Chao Dong, Jens Høvik, Md Istiak Khan, Astrid Aksnes, Bjorn-Ove Fimland & Burghoff, D. “Low-loss hybrid germanium-on-zinc selenide waveguides in the longwave infrared.” Nanophotonics 13, 1815–1822 (2024). (link)
  3. Ren, D., Dong, C. & Burghoff, D. “High-quality microresonators in the longwave infrared based on native germanium.” Nature Communications 13, 5727 (2022). (link)
  4. Z. Xiao, J. Wang, X. Liu, B. Assaf & Burghoff, D. “Optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy of the topological crystalline insulator Pb₁–xSnₓSe through the topological phase transition.” ACS Photonics (2022). (link)
  5. Burghoff, D. “Unraveling the origin of frequency modulated combs using active cavity mean-field theory.” Optica 7, 1781–1787 (2020). (pdf)
  6. David Burghoff, Yang Yang, John L. Reno & Qing Hu. “Dispersion dynamics of quantum cascade lasers.” Optica 3, 2334–2536 (2016). (pdf, supplementary)
  7. David Burghoff, Tsung-Yu Kao, Ningren Han, Chun Wang Chan, Xiaowei Cai, Yang Yang, Darren Hayton, Jian-Rong Gao, John L. Reno & Qing Hu. “Terahertz laser frequency combs.” Nature Photonics 8, 462 (2014). (pdf)
  8. Ningren Han, Alexander de Geofroy, Chun Wang I. Chan, David P. Burghoff, Alan Wei Min Lee, John L. Reno & Qing Hu. “Broadband all-electronically tunable terahertz quantum cascade lasers.” Optics Letters 39, 3480 (2014). (link)
  9. David Burghoff, Chun Wang Ivan Chan, Qing Hu & John Reno. “Gain measurements of scattering-assisted terahertz quantum cascade lasers.” Applied Physics Letters 100, 261111 (2012). (pdf)
  10. David Burghoff, Tsung-Yu Kao, Dayan Ban, Alan Wei Min Lee, Qing Hu & John Reno. “A terahertz pulse emitter monolithically integrated with a quantum cascade laser.” Applied Physics Letters 98, 061112 (2011). (pdf)