Resonant second-harmonic boost enables low-power on-chip optical amplification

Researchers on a thin-film lithium niobate chip demonstrate an integrated optical parametric amplifier that achieves >17 dB gain at telecom wavelengths using a resonant second-harmonic pump, dramatically reducing required pump power from watts to tens of milliwatts. The SH resonance enhances broadband parametric gain (>150 nm) with measurable noise figures, enabling low-power, chip-scale amplification for communications and quantum sensing in photonic circuits.