Reversible optical isolators and quasi-circulators using a magneto-optical Fabry-Pérot cavity

Abstract: Nonreciprocal optical devices are essential for laser protection, modern optical communication and quantum information processing by enforcing one-way light propagation. The conventional Faraday magneto-optical nonreciprocal devices rely on a strong magnetic field, which is provided by a permanent magnet. As a result, the isolation direction of such devices is fixed and severely restricts their applications in quantum networks.In this work, we experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous one-way transmission and unidirectional reflection by using a magneto-optical Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity and a magnetic field strength of $50~\milli\tesla$. An optical isolator and a three-port quasi-circulator are realized based on this nonreciprocal cavity system. The isolator achieves an isolation ratio of up to $22~\deci\bel$ and an averaged insertion loss down to $0.97~\deci\bel$. The quasi-circulator is realized with a fidelity exceeding $99\%$ and an overall survival probability of $89.9\%$, corresponding to an insertion loss of $\sim 0.46~\deci\bel$. The magnetic field is provided by an electromagnetic coil, thereby allowing for reversing the light circulating path. The reversible quasi-circulator paves the way for building reconfigurable quantum networks.