Microcombs Based on Laser Configuration: Laser Cavity Solitons in a Nested Cavity Geometry

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Optical frequency comb in microresonators, or ‘microcombs’, are optical sources composed of a set of equally spaces frequency lines obtained in nonlinear microcavities usually by Kerr nonlinearity. The discovery of dissipative temporal cavity solitons has been a fundamental breakthrough and allowed to achieve a broad, smooth spectrum particularly suitable for metrological comb applications.

More recently, we demonstrated that it is possible to generate localized pulses in a configuration where the micro-cavity is inserted in a fiber laser loop. We reported the observation of laser cavity-solitons [1], which have previously attracted large attention, especially in spatial configurations. By merging their properties with the physics of both micro-resonators and multi-mode systems, this scheme represents a fundamentally new paradigm for the generation, stabilization, and control of solitary optical pulses in micro-cavities.

In this framework, it is important to discuss the main physical features of these types of waves, including the energy efficiency and their dynamical properties, which are key for the initiation and recovery of the system.

Here we discuss the figures of merit which allow us to evaluate the performance of laser cavity soliton microcombs produced by a system based on a Kerr microresonator nested in an amplifying cavity. Moreover, taking advantage of state-of-the-art metrological tools, including a real-time Dispersive Fourier Transform, we will present our latest results on their dynamics, which include the observation of their formation and subsequent interactions.

References

[1] H. Bao, et al. Laser Cavity-Soliton Microcombs. Nat. Photonics 13, 384 (2019).