Continuous-wave driving elucidates the desynchronization dynamics of ultrashort dissipative Raman solitons generated in dispersive Kerr resonators.

Phase-coherent pulsed driving of passive optical fiber resonators enables the generation of ultrashort dissipative Raman solitons with durations well below 100 fs. The existence and characteristics of such solitons critically depend on the desynchronization between the pulsed driving source and the resonator round trip time, yet the full mechanism through which these dependencies arise remains unclear. Here, we numerically demonstrate that Raman solitons can exist even under conditions of continuous-wave (CW) driving, and by numerically examining the existence and characteristics of Raman solitons under such conditions, we elucidate the role of desynchronization in pulse-driven systems.

Nonlinear topological symmetry protection in a dissipative system.

We investigate experimentally and theoretically a system ruled by an intricate interplay between topology, nonlinearity, and spontaneous symmetry breaking. The experiment is based on a two-mode coherently-driven optical resonator where photons interact through the Kerr nonlinearity. In presence of a phase defect, the modal structure acquires a synthetic Möbius topology enabling the realization of spontaneous symmetry breaking in inherently bias-free conditions without fine tuning of parameters.

Kerr microresonator dual-comb source with adjustable line-spacing.

Optical microresonators offer a highly-attractive new platform for the generation of optical frequency combs. Recently, several groups have been able to demonstrate the generation of dual-frequency combs in a single microresonator driven by two optical pumps. This opens the possibility for microresonator-based dual-comb systems suitable for measurement applications such as spectroscopy, ranging and imaging.

Temporal characteristics of stationary switching waves in a normal dispersion pulsed-pump fiber cavity.

Kerr cavities driven in the normal dispersion regime are known to host switching waves. These consist of a traveling wavefront that connects separate regions associated with high- and low-intensity steady states of the cavity. In this Letter, we drive a 230-m custom built fiber ring cavity with strong normal dispersion using nanosecond pulses, allowing us to directly resolve the fine structure of individual switching waves, including resonant oscillations occurring over periods of the order of ∼10 ps.

Random number generation using spontaneous symmetry breaking in a Kerr resonator.

We demonstrate an all-optical random number generator based on spontaneous symmetry breaking in a coherently driven Kerr resonator. Random bit sequences are generated by repeatedly tuning a control parameter across a symmetry-breaking bifurcation that enacts random selection between two possible steady-states of the system. Experiments are performed in a fiber ring resonator, where the two symmetry-broken steady-states are associated with orthogonal polarization modes.