Abstract
The generation of Kerr frequency combs in a coherently driven nonlinear microresonator is now extensively investigated more generally by the research community as a potentially portable technology for a variety of applications. Here, we report experiments in which dark pulse combs are formed in normal-dispersion microresonators with mode-interaction-assisted excitation, and mode-locking transitions are observed in the normal-dispersion regime. The mode-interaction-aided excitation of dark pulses appears to occur through a deterministic pathway, in sharp contrast to the situation for bright pulses in the anomalous dispersion region. The ability to mode-lock in the normal-dispersion regime increases the freedom in the microresonator design and may make it possible to extend Kerr comb generation into the visible, where material dispersion is likely to dominate.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grants ECCS-1102110 and ECCS-1126314, by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under grant FA9550-12-1-0236 and by the DARPA PULSE program through grant W31P40-13-1-0018 from AMRDEC. The authors thank C.R. Menyuk and G. D'Aguanno for discussions and the reviewers for their comments.
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X.X. led the experiments, with assistance from Y.L., P.H.W., S.C., J.W. and D.E.L. X.X. analysed the data and performed the numerical simulations. X.X. and Y.X. designed the SiN microring layout with assistance from P.H.W. and J.W. Y.X. fabricated the microring. X.X. and A.M.W. wrote the manuscript. The project was organized and coordinated by A.M.W. and M.Q.
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Xue, X., Xuan, Y., Liu, Y. et al. Mode-locked dark pulse Kerr combs in normal-dispersion microresonators. Nature Photon 9, 594–600 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2015.137
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2015.137
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