No Arabic abstract
A generalized Lugiato-Lefever equation is numerically solved with a Newton-Raphson method to model Kerr frequency combs. We obtain excellent agreement with past experiments, even for an octave-spanning comb. Simulations are much faster than with any other technique despite including more modes than ever before. Our study reveals that Kerr combs are associated with temporal cavity solitons and dispersive waves, and opens up new avenues for the understanding of Kerr comb formation.
The model, that is usually called Lugiato-Lefever equation (LLE), was introduced in 1987 with the aim of providing a paradigm for dissipative structure and pattern formation in nonlinear optics. This model, describing a driven, detuned and damped nonlinear Schroedinger equation, gives rise to dissipative spatial and temporal solitons. Recently, the rather idealized conditions, assumed in the LLE, have materialized in the form of continuous wave driven optical microresonators, with the discovery of temporal dissipative Kerr solitons (DKS). These experiments have revealed that the LLE is a perfect and exact description of Kerr frequency combs - first observed in 2007, i.e. 20 years after the original formulation of the LLE. - and in particular describe soliton states. Observed to spontaneously form in Kerr frequency combs in crystalline microresonators in 2013, such DKS are preferred state of operation, offering coherent and broadband optical frequency combs, whose bandwidth can be extended exploiting soliton induced broadening phenomena. Combined with the ability to miniaturize and integrate on chip, microresonator based soliton Kerr frequency combs have already found applications in self-referenced frequency combs, dual-comb spectroscopy, frequency synthesis, low noise microwave generation, laser frequency ranging, and astrophysical spectrometer calibration, and have the potential to make comb technology ubiquitous. As such, pattern formation in driven, dissipative nonlinear optical systems is becoming the central Physics of soliton micro-comb technology.
We present a stability analysis of the Lugiato-Lefever model for Kerr optical frequency combs in whispering gallery mode resonators pumped in the anomalous dispersion regime. This article is the second part of a research work whose first part was devoted to the regime of normal dispersion, and was presented in ref. cite{Part_I}. The case of anomalous dispersion is indeed the most interesting from the theoretical point of view, because of the considerable variety of dynamical behaviors that can be observed. From a technological point of view, it is also the most relevant because it corresponds to the regime where Kerr combs are predominantly generated, studied, and used for different applications. In this article, we analyze the connection between the spatial patterns and the bifurcation structure of the eigenvalues associated to the various equilibria of the system. The bifurcation map evidences a considerable richness from a dynamical standpoint. We study in detail the emergence of super- and sub-critical Turing patterns in the system. We determine the areas were bright isolated cavity solitons emerge, and we show that soliton molecules can emerge as well. Very complex temporal patterns can actually be observed in the system, where solitons (or soliton complexes) co-exist with or without mutual interactions. Our investigations also unveil the mechanism leading to the phenomenon of breathing solitons. Two routes to chaos in the system are identified, namely a route via the so called secondary combs, and another via soliton breathers. The Kerr combs corresponding to all these temporal patterns are analyzed in detail, and a discussion is led about the possibility to gain synthetic comprehension of the observed spectra out of the dynamical complexity of the system.
We introduce a new model describing multiple resonances in Kerr optical cavities. It perfectly agrees quantitatively with the Ikeda map and predicts complex phenomena such as super cavity solitons and coexistence of multiple nonlinear states.
It has been recently uncovered that coherent structures in microresonators such as cavity solitons and patterns are intimately related to Kerr frequency combs. In this work, we present a general analysis of the regions of existence and stability of cavity solitons and patterns in the Lugiato-Lefever equation, a mean-field model that finds applications in many different nonlinear optical cavities. We demonstrate that the rich dynamics and coexistence of multiple solutions in the Lugiato-Lefever equation are of key importance to understanding frequency comb generation. A detailed map of how and where to target stable Kerr frequency combs in the parameter space defined by the frequency detuning and the pump power is provided. Moreover, the work presented also includes the organization of various dynamical regimes in terms of bifurcation points of higher co-dimension in regions of parameter space that were previously unexplored in the Lugiato-Lefever equation. We discuss different dynamical instabilities such as oscillations and chaotic regimes.
Microcombs - optical frequency combs generated in microresonators - have advanced tremendously in the last decade, and are advantageous for applications in frequency metrology, navigation, spectroscopy, telecommunications, and microwave photonics. Crucially, microcombs offer the prospect of fully integrated miniaturized optical systems with unprecedented reductions in cost, size, weight, and power. However, this goal has been consistently hindered by the use of bulk free-space and fiber-optic components to process microcombs, limiting form factors to the table-top. Here, we address this challenge by introducing an integrated photonics interposer architecture to process microcombs and replace discrete components. Taking microcomb-based optical frequency synthesis in the telecom C-band around 1550 nm as our target application, we develop an interposer architecture that collects, routes, and interfaces octave-wide optical signals between photonic chiplets and heterogeneously integrated devices that constitute the synthesizer. We have implemented the octave spanning spectral filtering of a microcomb, central to the interposer, in the popular silicon nitride photonic platform, and have confirmed the requisite performance of the individual elements of the interposer. Moreover, we show that the thick silicon nitride needed for bright dissipative Kerr soliton generation can be integrated with the comparatively thin silicon nitride interposer layer through octave-bandwidth adiabatic evanescent coupling, indicating a path towards future system-level consolidation. Our interposer architecture addresses the immediate need for on-chip microcomb processing to successfully miniaturize microcomb systems. As microcombs and integrated devices evolve, our approach can be readily adapted to other metrology-grade applications based on optical atomic clocks and high-precision navigation and spectroscopy.