Universal dynamics and deterministic switching of dissipative Kerr solitons in optical microresonators

Abstract

The formation of dissipative Kerr solitons in optical microresonators enables fully coherent optical frequency combs with microwave repetition rates. Of particular interest is the single soliton state that exhibits a spectrally smooth sech2 profile imperative for applications such as coherent optical communications, coherent receivers and dual-comb spectroscopy. However, the generation process of such comb sources remains challenging and non-deterministic. In our work [1], we discovered a simple mechanism that deterministically switches the soliton state, allowing for the generation of single-soliton-based frequency combs. We demonstrated this control in both Si 3 N 4 and MgF 2 microresonators. Moreover, we observed a double-resonance feature in system's response to a pump modulation, an effect uniquely associated with the soliton regime. Our measurements provide insight into the soliton dynamics and reveal the physical mechanism of the soliton switching. The technique provides a method to monitor and stabilize the frequency comb state, in particular allowing for feedback stabilization of the single soliton state [2], which is necessary for applications.