Optical frequency combs can enable ultrafast processes in physics, biology, and chemistry, as well as improve communication and navigation, medical testing, and security. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2005 was awarded to the developers of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique, and microresonator combs have become an intense focus of research over the past decade.
In a letter published on Nature, we have demonstrated low-power chip unites lasers and frequency combs for the first time and can be powered by an AAA battery, opening the door to portable devices for a wide range of applications from spectroscopy to optical communications to LIDAR.
