Reliable intracavity reflection for self-injection locking lasers and microcomb generation

Self-injection locking has emerged as a crucial technique for coherent optical sources,spanning from narrow linewidth lasers to the generation of localized microcombs.This technique involves key components,namely a laser diode and a high-quality cavity that induces narrow-band reflection back into the laser diode.However,in prior studies,the reflection mainly relied on the random intracavity Rayleigh backscattering,rendering it unpredictable and unsuitable for large-scale production and wide-band operation.In this work,we present a simple approach to achieve reliable intracavity reflection for self-injection locking to address this challenge by introducing a Sagnac loop into the cavity.This method guarantees robust reflection for every resonance within a wide operational band without compromising the quality factor or adding complexity to the fabrication process.As a proof of concept,we showcase the robust generation of narrow linewidth lasers and localized microcombs locked to different resonances within a normal-dispersion microcavity.Furthermore,the existence and generation of localized patterns in a normal-dispersion cavity with broadband forward–backward field coupling is first proved,as far as we know,both in simulation and in experiment.Our research offers a transformative approach to self-injection locking and holds great potential for large-scale production.

Differentiated self-assembly through orthogonal noncovalent interactions towards the synthesis of two-dimensional woven supramolecular polymers

Molecular weaving is a powerful approach to make molecularly woven materials that have showed unprecedented characteristics and properties intrinsically distinct to those of non-woven materials.We here report a facile and efficient approach for the synthesis of 2D woven supramolecular polymers by differentiated self-assembly through orthogonal noncovalent interactions.Importantly,the difference in binding strength of two orthogonal noncovalent interactions can be used to control the process of molecular weaving.Consequently,single-layered 2D woven supramolecular polymers were synthesized and fully characterized by various techniques.This study demonstrates a controllable method for molecular weaving,and will significantly hasten the development of molecularly woven materials.

Versatile photonic molecule switch in multimode microresonators

Harnessing optical supermode interaction to construct artificial photonic molecules has uncovered a series of fundamental optical phenomena analogous to atomic physics.Previously,the distinct energy levels and interactions in such two-level systems were provided by coupled microresonators.The reconfigurability is limited,as they often require delicate external field stimuli or mechanically altering the geometric factors.These highly specific approaches also limit potential applications.Here,we propose a versatile on-chip photonic molecule in a multimode microring,utilizing a flexible regulation methodology to dynamically control the existence and interaction strength of spatial modes.The transition between single/multi-mode states enables the“switched-off/on”functionality of the photonic molecule,supporting wider generalized applications scenarios.In particular,“switched-on”state shows flexible and multidimensional mode splitting control in aspects of both coupling strength and phase difference,equivalent to the a.c.and d.c.Stark effect.“Switched-off”state allows for perfect low-loss single-mode transition(Qi~10 million)under an ultra-compact bend size(FSR~115 GHz)in a foundry-based silicon microring.It breaks the stereotyped image of the FSR-Q factor trade-off,enabling ultra-wideband and high-resolution millimeter-wave photonic operations.Our demonstration provides a flexible and portable solution for the integrated photonic molecule system,extending its research scope from fundamental physics to real-world applications such as nonlinear optical signal processing and sixth-generation wireless communication.

Forensic appraisal of death due to acute alcohol poisoning:three case reports and a literature review

Death due to acute alcohol poisoning lacks specific anatomical characteristics,compared with other deaths due to drug poisoning.We report three forensic cases of death from acute alcohol poisoning due to inhibition of the respiratory centre and eventual asphyxia.Blood alcohol concentrations in the three fatalities were 5.28,3.33 and 3.78mg/mL,respec-tively.Lethal doses and blood alcohol concentrations showed differences between individu-als.Detailed auxiliary tests besides autopsy were undertaken.These cases show that forensic scientists should exclude other causes of death,combine the autopsy with auxiliary tests,and then make an appraisal.