Protected generation of dissipative Kerr solitons in supermodes of coupled optical microresonators

Abstract

A photonic dimer composed of two evanescently coupled high- Q microresonators is a fundamental element of multimode soliton lattices. It has demonstrated a variety of emergent nonlinear phenomena, including supermode soliton generation and soliton hopping. Here, we present another aspect of dissipative soliton generation in coupled resonators, revealing the advantages of this system over conventional single-resonator platforms. Namely, we show that the accessibility of solitons markedly varies for symmetric and antisymmetric supermode families. Linear measurements reveal that the coupling between transverse modes, giving rise to avoided mode crossings, can be substantially suppressed. We explain the origin of this phenomenon and show its influence on the dissipative Kerr soliton generation in lattices of coupled resonators of any type. Choosing an example of the topological Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, we demonstrate how the edge state can be protected from the interaction with higher-order modes, allowing for the formation of topological Kerr solitons.

Emergent Phenomena of Vector Solitons Induced by the Linear Coupling

“…[59] The emergent phenomena such as soliton hopping and supermode soliton are demonstrated in the photonic dimer. [60,61] Nevertheless, the coupling in these works is purely linear and nonadjustable with a fixed configuration, which limits the diversity of the nonlinear dynamics and the upper limit of the pursuing performance.…”

“…Two examples are coupled solitons in nonlinear fiber couplers [55][56][57][58] and dissipative Kerr solitons in coupled resonators. [59][60][61][62] Nevertheless, the dynamics of VS with both linear and nonlinear couplings remain ambiguous, and related research is lacking. Understanding the emergent phenomena of VS is significant in revealing fundamental soliton dynamics, effectively manipulating laser states and single-cavity dual comb.…”

Soliton pulse pairs at multiple colors in normal dispersion microresonators

“…It can extend the concept of all-optical soliton buffers and memories [4,5] to multiple storage rings that multiplex pulses with respect to soliton color and that are spatially addressable. The results also suggest a new platform for the study of quantum combs [6-8] and topological photonics [9][10][11].…”

Design and Fabrication of AlGaAs-on-Insulator Microring Resonators for Nonlinear Photonics

“…The AMX, also known as dispersion defects, results in severe distortion of the spectrum and obstructs the stabilization of the combs [39]. Therefore, the accidental AMX needs to be prevented by employing various resonator design strategies, such as intracavity mode-selective filters [51]- [54], adiabatically-bent racetrack resonators [55], [56], and coupled resonators [57].…”