No Arabic abstract
As light propagates along a waveguide, a fraction of the field can be reflected by Rayleigh scatterers. In high-quality-factor whispering-gallery-mode microresonators, this intrinsic backscattering is primarily caused by either surface or bulk material imperfections. For several types of microresonator-based experiments and applications, minimal backscattering in the cavity is of critical importance, and thus, the ability to suppress backscattering is essential. We demonstrate that the introduction of an additional scatterer into the near field of a high-quality-factor microresonator can coherently suppress the amount of backscattering in the microresonator by more than 30 dB. The method relies on controlling the scatterer position such that the intrinsic and scatterer-induced backpropagating fields destructively interfere. This technique is useful in microresonator applications where backscattering is currently limiting the performance of devices, such as ring-laser gyroscopes and dual frequency combs, which both suffer from injection locking. Moreover, these findings are of interest for integrated photonic circuits in which back reflections could negatively impact the stability of laser sources or other components.
We introduce the first principle model describing frequency comb generation in a WGM microresonator with the backscattering-induced coupling between the counter-propagating waves. {Elaborated model provides deep insight and accurate description of the complex dynamics of nonlinear processes in such systems.} We analyse the backscattering impact on the splitting and reshaping of the nonlinear resonances, demonstrate backscattering-induced modulational instability in the normal dispersion regime and subsequent frequency comb generation. We present and discuss novel features of the soliton comb dynamics induced by the backward wave.
The exact suppression of backscattering from rotationally symmetric objects requires dual symmetric materials where ${epsilon_r} = {mu_r}$. This prevents their design at many frequency bands, including the optical one, because magnetic materials are not available. Electromagnetically small non-magnetic spheres of large permittivity offer an alternative. They can be tailored to exhibit balanced electric and magnetic dipole polarizabilities, which result in approximate zero backscattering. In this case, the effect is inherently narrowband. Here, we put forward a different alternative that allows broadband functionality: Electromagnetically large spheres made from low permittivity materials. The effect occurs in a parameter regime that approaches the trivial ${epsilon_r} to {mu_r} =1$ case, where approximate duality is met in a weakly wavelength dependence fashion. Despite the low permittivity, the overall scattering response of the spheres is still significant. Radiation patterns from these spheres are shown to be highly directive across an octave spanning band. The effect is analytically and numerically shown using the Mie coefficients.
This chapter describes the discovery and stable generation of temporal dissipative Kerr solitons in continuous-wave (CW) laser driven optical microresonators. The experimental signatures as well as the temporal and spectral characteristics of this class of bright solitons are discussed. Moreover, analytical and numerical descriptions are presented that do not only reproduce qualitative features but can also be used to accurately model and predict the characteristics of experimental systems. Particular emphasis lies on temporal dissipative Kerr solitons with regard to optical frequency comb generation where they are of particular importance. Here, one example is spectral broadening and self-referencing enabled by the ultra-short pulsed nature of the solitons. Another example is dissipative Kerr soliton formation in integrated on-chip microresonators where the emission of a dispersive wave allows for the direct generation of unprecedentedly broadband and coherent soliton spectra with smooth spectral envelope.
Dissipative solitons are self-localized structures resulting from a double balance between dispersion and nonlinearity as well as dissipation and a driving force. They occur in a wide variety of fields ranging from optics, hydrodynamics to chemistry and biology. Recently, significant interest has focused on their temporal realization in driven optical microresonators, known as dissipative Kerr solitons. They provide access to coherent, chip-scale optical frequency combs, which have already been employed in optical metrology, data communication and spectroscopy. Such Kerr resonator systems can exhibit numerous localized intracavity patterns and provide rich insights into nonlinear dynamics. A particular class of solutions consists of breathing dissipative solitons, representing pulses with oscillating amplitude and duration, for which no comprehensive understanding has been presented to date. Here, we observe and study single and multiple breathing dissipative solitons in two different microresonator platforms: crystalline $mathrm{MgF_2}$ resonator and $mathrm{Si_3N_4}$ integrated microring. We report a deterministic route to access the breathing state, which allowed for a detailed exploration of the breathing dynamics. In particular, we establish the link between the breathing frequency and two system control parameters - effective pump laser detuning and pump power. Using a fast detection, we present a direct observation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of individual solitons, revealing irregular oscillations and switching. An understanding of breathing solitons is not only of fundamental interest concerning nonlinear systems close to critical transition, but also relevant for applications to prevent breather-induced instabilities in soliton-based frequency combs.
We demonstrate numerically novel mechanism providing generation of the flat-top solitonic pulses, platicons, in optical microresonators at normal GVD via negative thermal effects. We found that platicon excitation is possible if the ratio of the photon lifetime to the thermal relaxation time is large enough. We show that there are two regimes of the platicon generation depending on the pump amplitude: the smooth one and the oscillatory one. Parameter ranges providing platicon excitation are found and analysed for different values of the thermal relaxation time, frequency-scan rate and GVD coefficient. Possibility of the turn-key generation regime is also shown.