Stopping and manipulating light using a short array of active microresonators

ENSSAT-FOTON (CNRS-UMR 6082)/Université de Rennes 1 - 6 rue de Kerampont, Boîte Postale 80518, 22300 Lannion, France, EU

Corresponding authors: yannick.dumeige@enssat.fr yannick.dumeige@univ-rennes1.fr

Received: 5 December 2008
Accepted: 9 March 2009

Abstract

We theoretically propose a light-stopping process that uses loss and gain dynamical tuning in short coupled-resonator delay lines. The structure is made of four resonators and is optimized to avoid pulse distortion in the passive regime. The loss and gain modulations allow the resonant structure to be isolated from the access waveguide and the pulse to be stored. We demonstrate via numerical simulations the pulse storing process and show that this active delay line also induces nonlinear effects leading to pulse compression. This last property could be useful for pulse dispersion tailoring.