近日，美国国家标准与技术研究院与马里兰大学学院市分校Kartik Srinivasan团队报道了在倍频程间隔激光器之间产生的自对准光学微梳。相关论文于2026年9月30日发表在《自然》杂志上。

光学频率梳（OFC）是精密计量、下一代导航以及基础物理检验所必需的频率标尺。尽管人们付出了巨大努力，芯片集成OFC仍局限于实验室，无法实现其紧凑且经济高效部署的承诺。尽管制造和集成方面的改进很重要，但一个概念性局限阻碍了进展：片上OFC架构一直致力于将台式对应物小型化，并依赖于从单一泵浦向外级联。在集成平台中，这种方法不易产生对稳健零频偏检测至关重要的强、低噪声、倍频程间隔信号。

研究组通过一种架构倒置克服了这一局限，其中光学微梳填充两个倍频程间隔泵浦之间的频谱。这两个泵浦在集成χ(3)谐振器?中产生参量驱动的腔孤子，该孤子在多个代工厂制造的器件和工作配置中都能稳健地自对准于两个泵浦。这产生了从电信到可见光波长的单一跨倍频程梳，其零频偏由泵浦的谐波偏置定义，因此可以被可靠地检测和稳定。研究组通过执行OFC计量的所有三项核心任务——光学频率合成、低噪声毫米波产生和集成光钟读出——展示了该平台的能力，且仅改变其输入锁定，使用同一个自对准微梳。

附：英文原文

Title: Self-aligned optical microcomb emerging between octave-separated lasers

Author: Moille, Grgory, Shandilya, Pradyoth, Stone, Jordan, Beard, River, Ou, Shao-Chien, Li, Zongda, Harrington, Mark, Liu, Kaikai, Rockmore, Robert, Menyuk, Curtis R., Blumenthal, Daniel J., Krzyzewski, Sean P., Erkintalo, Miro, Srinivasan, Kartik

Issue&Volume: 2026-09-30

Abstract: Optical frequency combs (OFCs) are frequency rulers essential for precision metrology, next-generation navigation and testing of fundamental physics1. Despite intense efforts, chip-integrated OFCs remain laboratory-bound, unable to fulfil their promise of compact and cost-effective deployment. Although improvements in fabrication and integration are important, a conceptual limitation has stymied progress: on-chip OFC architectures have aimed to miniaturize their table-top counterparts and relied on cascading outward from a single pump2,3. In integrated platforms, this approach does not readily generate the strong, low-noise, octave-spaced signals crucial for robust zero-frequency offset detection4. Here we overcome this limitation through an architectural inversion, in which an optical microcomb fills the spectrum between two octave-separated pumps. The two pumps generate a parametrically driven cavity soliton5 in an integrated χ(3) resonator6, which robustly self-aligns to both pumps across multiple foundry-fabricated devices and operating configurations. This produces a single octave-spanning comb from telecom to visible wavelengths, whose zero-frequency offset is defined by the harmonic offset of the pumps and can therefore be reliably detected and stabilized. We showcase the capabilities of our platform by executing all of the three core tasks of OFC metrology: optical frequency synthesis, low-noise millimetre-wave generation and integrated optical clock readout, using the same self-aligned microcomb with only its input locks changed.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-11086-2

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-11086-2

期刊信息

Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504

官方网址：http://www.nature.com/

投稿链接：http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html