Self-emergence of robust solitons in a microcavity.pdf (10.99 MB)
Self-emergence of robust solitons in a microcavity
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 05:09 authored by Maxwell Rowley, Pierre-Henry Hanzard, Antonio CutronaAntonio Cutrona, Hualong Bao, Sai T Chu, Brent E Little, Roberto Morandotti, David J Moss, Gian-Luca Oppo, Juan Sebastian Totero Gongora, Marco Peccianti, Alessia PasquaziIn many disciplines, states that emerge in open systems far from equilibrium are determined by a few global parameters1,2. These states can often mimic thermodynamic equilibrium, a classic example being the oscillation threshold of a laser3 that resembles a phase transition in condensed matter. However, many classes of states cannot form spontaneously in dissipative systems, and this is the case for cavity solitons2 that generally need to be induced by external perturbations, as in the case of optical memories4,5. In the past decade, these highly localized states have enabled important advancements in microresonator-based optical frequency combs6,7. However, the very advantages that make cavity solitons attractive for memories—their inability to form spontaneously from noise—have created fundamental challenges. As sources, microcombs require spontaneous and reliable initiation into a desired state that is intrinsically robust8–20. Here we show that the slow non-linearities of a free-running microresonator-filtered fibre laser21 can transform temporal cavity solitons into the system’s dominant attractor. This phenomenon leads to reliable self-starting oscillation of microcavity solitons that are naturally robust to perturbations, recovering spontaneously even after complete disruption. These emerge repeatably and controllably into a large region of the global system parameter space in which specific states, highly stable over long timeframes, can be achieved.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
NatureISSN
0028-0836Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLCExternal DOI
Volume
608Page range
303-309Event location
EnglandDepartment affiliated with
- Physics and Astronomy Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2022-10-18First Open Access (FOA) Date
2022-10-18First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2022-10-18Usage metrics
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