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1. All-Optical Kerr Synchronization of a Dissipative Kerr Soliton Microcomb to an Optical Reference

   Grégory Moille, Jordan Stone (January 2023, Nonlinear Optics 2023)

   We demonstrate Kerr-mediated all-optical synchronization of a dissipative Kerr solition with an external master laser in a single microring resonator. It enables passive frequency division for optical clock metrology applications. 

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2. Modified Martin–Puplett interferometer for magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements at sub-THz frequencies

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0231004  

   Glezer_Moshe, A; Nagarajan, R; Nagel, U; Rõõm, T; Blumberg, G (November 2024, Review of Scientific Instruments)

   We present a magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) spectrometer based on a modified Martin–Puplett interferometer, utilizing continuous wave sub-THz low-power radiation in a broad frequency range. This spectrometer is capable of measuring the frequency dependence of the MOKE response function, both the Kerr rotation and ellipticity, simultaneously, with accuracy limited by a sub-milliradian threshold, without the need for a reference measurement. The instrument’s versatility allows it to be coupled to a cryostat with optical windows, enabling studies of a variety of quantum materials such as unconventional superconductors, two-dimensional electron gas systems, quantum magnets, and other systems showing optical Hall response at sub-Kelvin temperatures and in high magnetic fields. We demonstrate the functionality of the MOKE spectrometer using an undoped InSb wafer as a test sample. 

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3. Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions in a Dual-pumped Silicon Nitride Kerr Optical Parametric Oscillator

   https://doi.org/10.1364/CLEO_SI.2024.SW4F.2  

   Shen, Yichen; Sridhar, Sashank K; Moille, Grégory; Shaikh, Fahad A; Srinivasan, Kartik; Dutt, Avik (January 2024, Optica Publishing Group)

   We demonstrate spectral phase transitions in dual-pumped Si₃N₄nanophotonic Kerr optical parametric oscillators with anomalous dispersion. Through pump-power modulation, we observe real-time switching between a near-degenerate signal (0-FSR separation) and non-degenerate signals (4-FSR separation). 

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4. Monostable dissipative Kerr solitons

   https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.441165  

   Tsao, Eugene; Xie, Yijun; Nie, Mingming; Huang, Shu-Wei (December 2021, Optics Letters)

   Kerr microcombs hold the promise of bringing frequency combs onto the chip and into a variety of applications requiring low size, weight, power, and cost. However, reliable Kerr microcomb generation is hindered by the thermal effect and multistability of dissipative Kerr solitons (DKSs). Past approaches toward Kerr microcomb reliability include either deterministic single-soliton generation or self-starting soliton behavior but not both. Here we describe a regime of DKSs that isbothdeterministic and self-starting, in which only a single soliton can stably exist. We term this new DKS regime “monostable DKSs” (MS-DKSs) as all other optical behaviors, such as continuous-wave-only and multiple solitons, are fundamentally forbidden by the design. We establish a graphical model to describe MS-DKSs and discuss the design principles of MS-DKSs. We numerically demonstrate the MS-DKS behavior in an example periodically poled lithium niobate microring resonator. 

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5. Directly accessing the single-soliton state of a Kerr microcomb and its universal scaling law [Invited]

   https://doi.org/10.1364/OME.541224  

   Sun, Wenhan; Li, Jingwei; Wang, Ruixuan; Li, Qing (November 2024, Optical Materials Express)

   Soliton microcombs have attracted considerable research interest due to their unique properties. Being able to directly access the single-soliton state in a Kerr microresonator simplifies the device operation and may inspire new applications. However, the general conditions leading to such operations are not well understood. In this work, we aim to elucidate the key factors enabling the direct access of the single-soliton state in a Kerr microresonator by combining the experimental results in an integrated silicon carbide platform and a comprehensive analysis based on the normalized Lugiato-Lefever equation. A general criterion linking the Kerr nonlinearity, dispersion, and thermo-optic properties has been derived, which is applicable to Kerr microresonators with varied materials, sizes, optical quality factors, and dispersion. 

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