Kerr-induced synchronization of a cavity soliton to an optical reference
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Moille, Grégory, Jordan Stone, Michal Chojnacky, Rahul Shrestha, Usman A. Javid, Curtis Menyuk, and Kartik Srinivasan. “Kerr-Induced Synchronization of a Cavity Soliton to an Optical Reference.” Nature 624, no. 7991 (December 2023): 267–74. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06730-0.
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This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06730-0
Access to this item will begin on 06/13/2024
Access to this item will begin on 06/13/2024
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Abstract
The phase-coherent frequency division of a stabilized optical reference laser to the microwave domain is made possible by optical-frequency combs (OFCs). OFC-based clockworks lock one comb tooth to a reference laser, which probes a stable atomic transition, usually through an active servo that increases the complexity of the OFC photonic and electronic integration for fieldable clock applications. Here, we demonstrate that the Kerr nonlinearity enables passive, electronics-free synchronization of a microresonator-based dissipative Kerr soliton (DKS) OFC to an externally injected reference laser. We present a theoretical model explaining this Kerr-induced synchronization (KIS), which closely matches experimental results based on a chip-integrated, silicon nitride, micro-ring resonator. Once synchronized, the reference laser captures an OFC tooth, so that tuning its frequency provides direct external control of the OFC repetition rate. We also show that the stability of the repetition rate is linked to that of the reference laser through the expected frequency division factor. Finally, KIS of an octave-spanning DKS exhibits enhancement of the opposite dispersive wave, consistent with the theoretical model, and enables improved self-referencing and access to the OFC carrier–envelope offset frequency. The KIS-mediated enhancements we demonstrate can be directly implemented in integrated optical clocks and chip-scale low-noise microwave generators.