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Moroney N, Del Bino L, Zhang S, Woodley MTM, Hill L, Wildi T, Wittwer VJ, Südmeyer T, Oppo GL, Vanner MR, Brasch V, Herr T, Del'Haye P. A Kerr polarization controller. Nat Commun 2022; 13:398. [PMID: 35046413 PMCID: PMC8770726 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27933-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Kerr-effect-induced changes of the polarization state of light are well known in pulsed laser systems. An example is nonlinear polarization rotation, which is critical to the operation of many types of mode-locked lasers. Here, we demonstrate that the Kerr effect in a high-finesse Fabry-Pérot resonator can be utilized to control the polarization of a continuous wave laser. It is shown that a linearly-polarized input field is converted into a left- or right-circularly-polarized field, controlled via the optical power. The observations are explained by Kerr-nonlinearity induced symmetry breaking, which splits the resonance frequencies of degenerate modes with opposite polarization handedness in an otherwise symmetric resonator. The all-optical polarization control is demonstrated at threshold powers down to 7 mW. The physical principle of such Kerr effect-based polarization controllers is generic to high-Q Kerr-nonlinear resonators and could also be implemented in photonic integrated circuits. Beyond polarization control, the spontaneous symmetry breaking of polarization states could be used for polarization filters or highly sensitive polarization sensors when operating close to the symmetry-breaking point.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Moroney
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
- QOLS, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
| | - L Del Bino
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
| | - S Zhang
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
| | - M T M Woodley
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
- QOLS, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
- SUPA and Department of Physics, Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
| | - L Hill
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
- SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0NG, Scotland
| | - T Wildi
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - V J Wittwer
- Laboratoire Temps-Fréquence, Université de Neuchâtel, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - T Südmeyer
- Laboratoire Temps-Fréquence, Université de Neuchâtel, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - G-L Oppo
- SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0NG, Scotland
| | - M R Vanner
- QOLS, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, London, UK
| | - V Brasch
- Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), Time and Frequency, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - T Herr
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
- Physics Department, Universität Hamburg, 22761, Hamburg, Germany
| | - P Del'Haye
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, 91058, Erlangen, Germany.
- Department of Physics, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91058, Erlangen, Germany.
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Spontaneous symmetry breaking of dissipative optical solitons in a two-component Kerr resonator. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4023. [PMID: 34188030 PMCID: PMC8242005 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24251-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Dissipative solitons are self-localized structures that can persist indefinitely in open systems driven out of equilibrium. They play a key role in photonics, underpinning technologies from mode-locked lasers to microresonator optical frequency combs. Here we report on experimental observations of spontaneous symmetry breaking of dissipative optical solitons. Our experiments are performed in a nonlinear optical ring resonator, where dissipative solitons arise in the form of persisting pulses of light known as Kerr cavity solitons. We engineer symmetry between two orthogonal polarization modes of the resonator and show that the solitons of the system can spontaneously break this symmetry, giving rise to two distinct but co-existing vectorial solitons with mirror-like, asymmetric polarization states. We also show that judiciously applied perturbations allow for deterministic switching between the two symmetry-broken dissipative soliton states. Our work delivers fundamental insights at the intersection of multi-mode nonlinear optical resonators, dissipative structures, and spontaneous symmetry breaking, and expands upon our understanding of dissipative solitons in coherently driven Kerr resonators. Dissipative solitons and their symmetry breaking is important for photonic applications. Here the authors show that dissipative solitons can undergo spontaneous symmetry breaking in a two-component nonlinear optical ring resonator, resulting in the coexistence of distinct vectorial solitons with asymmetric, mirror-like states of polarization.
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Woodley MTM, Hill L, Del Bino L, Oppo GL, Del'Haye P. Self-Switching Kerr Oscillations of Counterpropagating Light in Microresonators. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:043901. [PMID: 33576655 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.043901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We report the experimental and numerical observation of oscillatory antiphase switching between counterpropagating light beams in Kerr ring microresonators, where dominance between the intensities of the two beams is periodically or chaotically exchanged. Self-switching occurs in balanced regimes of operation and is well captured by a simple coupled dynamical system featuring only the self- and cross-phase Kerr nonlinearities. Switching phenomena are due to temporal instabilities of symmetry-broken states combined with attractor merging, which restores the broken symmetry on average. Self-switching of counterpropagating light is robust for realizing controllable, all-optical generation of waveforms, signal encoding, and chaotic cryptography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T M Woodley
- National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington TW11 0LW, United Kingdom
- SUPA and Department of Physics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Lewis Hill
- National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington TW11 0LW, United Kingdom
- SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, 107 Rottenrow, Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom
| | - Leonardo Del Bino
- National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington TW11 0LW, United Kingdom
- SUPA and Department of Physics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Staudtstr. 2, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gian-Luca Oppo
- SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, 107 Rottenrow, Glasgow G4 0NG, United Kingdom
| | - Pascal Del'Haye
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Staudtstr. 2, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Physics, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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Del Bino L, Moroney N, Del'Haye P. Optical memories and switching dynamics of counterpropagating light states in microresonators. OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 29:2193-2203. [PMID: 33726420 DOI: 10.1364/oe.417951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Kerr nonlinearity can be a key enabler for many digital photonic circuits as it allows access to bistable states needed for all-optical memories and switches. A common technique is to use the Kerr shift to control the resonance frequency of a resonator and use it as a bistable, optically-tunable filter. However, this approach works only in a narrow power and frequency range or requires the use of an auxiliary laser. An alternative approach is to use the asymmetric bistability between counterpropagating light states resulting from the interplay between self- and cross-phase modulation, which allows light to enter a ring resonator in just one direction. Logical high and low states can be represented and stored as the direction of circulation of light, and controlled by modulating the input power. Here we study the switching speed, operating laser frequency and power range, and contrast ratio of such a device. We reach a bitrate of 2 Mbps in our proof-of-principle device over an optical frequency range of 1 GHz and an operating power range covering more than one order of magnitude. We also calculate that integrated photonic circuits could exhibit bitrates of the order of Gbps, paving the way for the realization of robust and simple all-optical memories, switches, routers and logic gates that can operate at a single laser frequency with no additional electrical power.
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Fan Z, Skryabin DV. Soliton blockade in bidirectional microresonators. OPTICS LETTERS 2020; 45:6446-6449. [PMID: 33258833 DOI: 10.1364/ol.409362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We report a method to control, disrupt, and restore a regime of unidirectional soliton generation in a bidirectionally pumped ring microresonator. This control, i.e., the soliton blockade, is achieved by tuning the pump frequency of the counterrotating field. The blockade effect is correlated with the emergence of a dark-bright nonlinear resonance of cw states.
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Nielsen AU, Garbin B, Coen S, Murdoch SG, Erkintalo M. Coexistence and Interactions between Nonlinear States with Different Polarizations in a Monochromatically Driven Passive Kerr Resonator. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 123:013902. [PMID: 31386416 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.123.013902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We report on experimental observations of coexistence and interactions between nonlinear states with different polarizations in a passive Kerr resonator driven at a single carrier frequency. Using a fiber ring resonator with adjustable birefringence, we partially overlap nonlinear resonances of two orthogonal polarization modes, achieving coexistence between different nonlinear states by locking the driving laser frequency at various points within the overlap region. In particular, we observe coexistence between temporal cavity solitons and modulation instability patterns, as well as coexistence between two nonidentical cavity solitons with different polarizations. We also observe interactions between the distinctly polarized cavity solitons, as well as spontaneous excitation and annihilation of solitons by a near-orthogonally polarized unstable modulation instability pattern. By demonstrating that a single frequency driving field can support coexistence between differentially polarized solitons and complex modulation instability patterns, our work sheds light on the rich dissipative dynamics of multimode Kerr resonators. Our findings could also be of relevance to the generation of multiplexed microresonator frequency combs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander U Nielsen
- Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand and The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, New Zealand
| | - Bruno Garbin
- Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand and The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, New Zealand
| | - Stéphane Coen
- Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand and The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, New Zealand
| | - Stuart G Murdoch
- Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand and The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, New Zealand
| | - Miro Erkintalo
- Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand and The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, New Zealand
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