Highly-sensitive mid-infrared upconversion detection based on external-cavity pump enhancement

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Liu, Xiaohan, Huang, Kun, Zhang, Wen, Sun, Ben, Fang, Jianan, Liang, Yan, Zeng, Heping
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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_version_ 1866910268911517696
author Liu, Xiaohan
Huang, Kun
Zhang, Wen
Sun, Ben
Fang, Jianan
Liang, Yan
Zeng, Heping
author_facet Liu, Xiaohan
Huang, Kun
Zhang, Wen
Sun, Ben
Fang, Jianan
Liang, Yan
Zeng, Heping
contents Sensitive mid-infrared (MIR) detection is highly demanded in various applications, ranging from remote sensing, infrared surveillance, environmental monitoring to industrial inspection. Among others, upconversion infrared detectors have recently attracted increasing attention due to the advantageous features of high sensitivity, fast response, and room-temperature operation. However, it remains challenging to realize high-performance passive MIR sensing due to the stringent requirement of high-power continuous-wave pumping. Here, we propose and implement a high-efficiency and low-noise MIR upconversion detection system based on pumping enhancement via a low-loss optical cavity. Specifically, a single-longitudinal-mode pump at 1064 nm is significantly enhanced by a factor of 36, thus allowing for a peak conversion efficiency of up to 22\% at an intra-cavity average power of 55 W. The corresponding noise equivalent power is achieved as low as 0.3 fW/Hz$^{1/2}$, which indicates at least a ten-fold improvement over previous results. Notably, the involved single-frequency pumping would facilitate high-fidelity spectral mapping, which is particularly attractive for high-precision MIR upconversion spectroscopy in photon-starved scenarios.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_29214
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Highly-sensitive mid-infrared upconversion detection based on external-cavity pump enhancement
Liu, Xiaohan
Huang, Kun
Zhang, Wen
Sun, Ben
Fang, Jianan
Liang, Yan
Zeng, Heping
Optics
Sensitive mid-infrared (MIR) detection is highly demanded in various applications, ranging from remote sensing, infrared surveillance, environmental monitoring to industrial inspection. Among others, upconversion infrared detectors have recently attracted increasing attention due to the advantageous features of high sensitivity, fast response, and room-temperature operation. However, it remains challenging to realize high-performance passive MIR sensing due to the stringent requirement of high-power continuous-wave pumping. Here, we propose and implement a high-efficiency and low-noise MIR upconversion detection system based on pumping enhancement via a low-loss optical cavity. Specifically, a single-longitudinal-mode pump at 1064 nm is significantly enhanced by a factor of 36, thus allowing for a peak conversion efficiency of up to 22\% at an intra-cavity average power of 55 W. The corresponding noise equivalent power is achieved as low as 0.3 fW/Hz$^{1/2}$, which indicates at least a ten-fold improvement over previous results. Notably, the involved single-frequency pumping would facilitate high-fidelity spectral mapping, which is particularly attractive for high-precision MIR upconversion spectroscopy in photon-starved scenarios.
title Highly-sensitive mid-infrared upconversion detection based on external-cavity pump enhancement
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.29214