Coherent conversion of microwave and optical photons can significantly expand the ability to control the information processing and communication systems. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the microwave-to-optical frequency conversion in a magneto-optical whispering gallery mode microcavity. By applying a magnetic field parallel to the microsphere equator, the intra-cavity optical field will be modulated when the magnon is excited by the microwave drive, leading to microwave-to-optical conversion via the magnetic Stokes and anti-Stokes scattering processes. The observed single sideband conversion phenomenon indicates a non-trivial optical photon-magnon interaction mechanism, which is derived from the magnon induced both the frequency shift and modulated coupling rate of optical modes. In addition, we demonstrate the single-sideband frequency conversion with an ultrawide tuning range up to 2.5GHz, showing its great potential in microwave-to-optical conversion.
@article{arxiv.2111.07325,
title = {Single-sideband microwave-to-optical conversion in high-Q ferrimagnetic microspheres},
author = {Cheng-Zhe Chai and Zhen Shen and Yan-Lei Zhang and Hao-Qi Zhao and Guang-Can Guo and Chang-Ling Zou and Chun-Hua Dong},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2111.07325},
year = {2021}
}