Abstract:Dissipative Kerr solitons are self-sustaining optical wavepackets in resonators. They use the Kerr nonlinearity to both compensate dispersion and offset optical loss. Besides providing insights into nonlinear resonator physics, they can be applied in frequency metrology, precision clocks, and spectroscopy. Like other optical solitons, the dissipative Kerr soliton can radiate power as a dispersive wave through a process that is the optical analogue of Cherenkov radiation. Dispersive waves typically consist of a… Show more
“…4b, the relative positions are stable from 9 to 22 μs and then destabilize. It is believed that the stabilization of solitons is related to the presence of a dispersive wave caused by an avoided mode crossing 54 . Note that ultimately, all of the solitons in both panels are annihilated when the laser is tuned beyond the existence detuning range 17 .Fig.…”
Solitons are self-sustained wavepackets that occur in many physical systems. Their recent demonstration in optical microresonators has provided a new platform for the study of nonlinear optical physics with practical implications for miniaturization of time standards, spectroscopy tools, and frequency metrology systems. However, despite its importance to the understanding of soliton physics, as well as development of new applications, imaging the rich dynamical behavior of solitons in microcavities has not been possible. These phenomena require a difficult combination of high-temporal-resolution and long-record-length in order to capture the evolving trajectories of closely spaced microcavity solitons. Here, an imaging method is demonstrated that visualizes soliton motion with sub-picosecond resolution over arbitrary time spans. A wide range of complex soliton transient behavior are characterized in the temporal or spectral domain, including soliton formation, collisions, spectral breathing, and soliton decay. This method can serve as a visualization tool for developing new soliton applications and understanding complex soliton physics in microcavities.
“…4b, the relative positions are stable from 9 to 22 μs and then destabilize. It is believed that the stabilization of solitons is related to the presence of a dispersive wave caused by an avoided mode crossing 54 . Note that ultimately, all of the solitons in both panels are annihilated when the laser is tuned beyond the existence detuning range 17 .Fig.…”
Solitons are self-sustained wavepackets that occur in many physical systems. Their recent demonstration in optical microresonators has provided a new platform for the study of nonlinear optical physics with practical implications for miniaturization of time standards, spectroscopy tools, and frequency metrology systems. However, despite its importance to the understanding of soliton physics, as well as development of new applications, imaging the rich dynamical behavior of solitons in microcavities has not been possible. These phenomena require a difficult combination of high-temporal-resolution and long-record-length in order to capture the evolving trajectories of closely spaced microcavity solitons. Here, an imaging method is demonstrated that visualizes soliton motion with sub-picosecond resolution over arbitrary time spans. A wide range of complex soliton transient behavior are characterized in the temporal or spectral domain, including soliton formation, collisions, spectral breathing, and soliton decay. This method can serve as a visualization tool for developing new soliton applications and understanding complex soliton physics in microcavities.
“…AMC modeling is possible by a two-parameter model for the lifted degeneracy of the interacting mode families [218]. A more complete picture showing the transfer of power from the main pumped mode family to the crossing one has also been introduced [219,302]. Fig.…”
The experimental realization of a Kerr frequency comb represented the convergence of research in materials, physics, and engineering, and this symbiotic relationship continues to underpin efforts in comb innovation today. While the initial focus developing cavity-based frequency combs relied on existing microresonator architectures and classic optical materials, in recent years, this trend has been disrupted. This paper reviews the latest achievements in frequency comb generation using resonant cavities, placing them within the broader historical context of the field. After presenting well-established material systems and device designs, the emerging materials and device architectures are examined. Specifically, the unconventional material systems as well as atypical device designs that have enabled tailored dispersion profiles and improved comb performance are compared to the current state of art. The remaining challenges and future outlook for the field of cavity-based frequency combs is evaluated.
“…This separate dependence stems from the detuning ∆ between the pump laser and the cavity resonance, the latter being temperature sensitive. The shift in ω s with ∆ is known as the soliton self-frequency shift (SSFS) and has been extensively explored in the literature 30,43 . The derivative on the right side of Eq.…”
Thermal noise is ubiquitous in microscopic systems and in high-precision measurements. Controlling thermal noise, especially using laser light to apply dissipation, substantially affects science in revealing the quantum regime of gases 1 , in searching for fundamental physics 2 , and in realizing practical applications 3 . Recently, nonlinear light-matter interactions in microresonators have opened up new classes of microscopic devices. A key example is Kerrmicroresonator frequency combs 4 ; so-called soliton microcombs not only explore nonlinear science but also enable integrated-photonics devices, such as optical synthesizers 5 , optical clocks 6 , and data-communications systems 7 . Here, we explore how thermal noise leads to fundamental decoherence of soliton microcombs. We show that a particle-like soliton exists in a state of thermal equilibrium with its silicon-chip-based resonator. Therefore the soliton microcomb's modal linewidth is thermally broadened. Our experiments utilize record sensitivity in carrier-envelope-offset frequency detection in order to uncover this regime of strong thermal-noise correlations. Furthermore, we have discovered that passive laser cooling of the soliton reduces thermal decoherence to far below the ambient-temperature limit. We implement laser cooling by microresonator photothermal forcing, and we observe cooling of the frequency-comb light to an effective temperature of 84 K. Our work illuminates inherent connections between nonlinear photonics, microscopic physical fluctuations, and precision metrology that could be harnessed for innovative devices and methods to manipulate light.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
