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Kerr-induced synchronization of a cavity soliton to an optical reference

Nature volume 624, pages 267–274 (2023)Cite this article

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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)1,2. OFC-based clockworks3,4,5,6 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) OFC7 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.

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Fig. 1: Clockwork concept.
Fig. 2: Phase-locking for KIS.
Fig. 3: Experimental demonstration of synchronization.
Fig. 4: Control of the DKS repetition rate with the reference pump alone.
Fig. 5: Validation of the clockwork under passive synchronization.
Fig. 6: CEO detection improvement: self-balancing and large SHG power.

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Data availability

The data that supports the plots within this paper and other findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors on request.

Code availability

The simulation code is available from the authors through the pyLLE package available online41, using the inputs and parameters presented in this work.

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Acknowledgements

The photonic chips were fabricated by Ligentec SA. We acknowledge partial funding support from the Space Vehicles Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Atomic–Photonic Integration programme of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the NIST-on-a-chip programme of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. C.M. acknowledges support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant No. FA9550-20-1-0357) and the National Science Foundation (Grant No. ECCS-18-07272). We thank P. Shandilya, M. Davanço and V. Aksyuk for insightful feedback. We thank M. Highman and M. Cich from Toptica Photonics for the loan of the fibre comb. Certain commercial products or names are identified to foster understanding. Such identification does not constitute recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the products or names identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joint Quantum Institute, NIST/University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Grégory Moille, Jordan Stone, Michal Chojnacky, Rahul Shrestha, Usman A. Javid & Kartik Srinivasan

  2. Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA

    Grégory Moille, Jordan Stone, Usman A. Javid & Kartik Srinivasan

  3. Sensor Science Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA

    Michal Chojnacky

  4. University of Maryland at Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Curtis Menyuk

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Contributions

G.M. led the project, designed the resonators, performed the measurements and simulations, and developed the Adler equation model. J.S. helped with the metrology analysis. M.C. developed the electro-optic comb apparatus. R.S. and U.A.J. helped with the second-harmonic characterization. C.M. contributed to the understanding of the physical phenomenon. K.S. helped with guiding the project and with data analysis. G.M. and K.S. wrote the manuscript, with input from all authors. All the authors contributed and discussed the content of this manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Grégory Moille or Kartik Srinivasan.

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Competing interests

G.M., C.M. and K.S have submitted a provisional patent application based on aspects of the work presented in this paper. 

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Nature thanks Mengxi Tan and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Peer reviewer reports are available.

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Extended data figures and tables

Extended Data Fig. 1 Complete experimental setup.

EOM: Electro-optical modulator; RSA: real time electrical spectrum analyzer; OSA: optical spectrum analyzer; WDM: wavelength demultiplexer; CTL : continuous tunable laser; MZI: Mach-Zehnder interferometer; APD: avalanche photodiode; PC: polarization controller; YDFA: Ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier; TA: tapered amplifier.

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Moille, G., Stone, J., Chojnacky, M. et al. Kerr-induced synchronization of a cavity soliton to an optical reference. Nature 624, 267–274 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06730-0

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