An Invertible All-optical Logic Gate on Chip

Abstract

We demonstrate an invertible all-optical gate on chip, with the roles of control and signal switchable by slightly adjusting their relative arrival time at the gate. It is based on quantum Zeno blockade driven by sum-frequency generation in a periodic-poled lithium niobate microring resonator. For two nearly-identical nanosecond pulses, the later arriving pulse is modulated by the earlier arriving one, resulting in 2.4 and 3.9 power extinction between the two, respectively, when their peak power is 1 mW and 2 mW. Our results, while to be improved and enriched, herald a new paradigm of logical gates and circuits for exotic applications.