利用热光动力学实现频率捷变的孤子微梳
Harnessing thermo-optic dynamics for frequency-agile soliton microcombs
- Technical University of Denmark（丹麦技术大学）
- Shanghai University（上海大学）
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。
AI总结：
该研究通过强模式耦合重塑孤子形成的有效失谐轨迹，将热光效应从限制因素转为主动资源，在AlGaAs多模微谐振器中实现了32 mW泵浦下近100 GHz调谐范围的稳定孤子微梳，支持无需辅助稳定的频率捷变运行。
AI中文摘要：
耗散克尔孤子微梳可为精密计量、光谱学、通信及相干激光雷达提供紧凑且可扩展的频率梳源，而宽且可靠的频率调谐是其关键需求。热光响应可在孤子运行期间支持热锁定，实现共振跟踪，从而扩展调谐范围，不过该范围较为有限。然而，热光响应也会在孤子启动过程中引发显著的热不稳定性，阻碍可靠进入该扩展运行状态，限制其在需要频率捷变的应用中的实际部署。本文研究表明，强模式耦合会重塑决定孤子形成的有效失谐轨迹，建立起一种截然不同的运行状态，其中热光响应得到显著增强并被建设性地利用。在该状态下，孤子形成过程不会出现传统运行状态所固有的热不稳定性，使材料平台上的孤子生成变得稳定，而此前这些平台因强热效应而受限于无法实现稳定孤子生成。重要的是，增强的热光响应会强化孤子运行期间的热锁定，实现更有效的共振跟踪并大幅扩展调谐范围。通过在绝缘衬底上的AlGaAs多模微谐振器中利用该状态，研究人员演示了在32 mW泵浦功率下，调谐范围接近100 GHz的孤子生成。相同机制还可通过直接泵浦频率调谐实现频率捷变运行，无需辅助稳定措施，可生成具有90多个通道的大规模并行啁啾梳，每个通道的频率偏移超过10 GHz。这些结果确立了一项通用运行原理，将热光效应从限制因素转变为主动资源，实现稳定且频率捷变的集成孤子微梳。
英文摘要：
Dissipative Kerr soliton microcombs enable compact and scalable frequency comb sources for precision metrology, spectroscopy, communications and coherent LiDAR, where broad and reliable frequency tuning is essential. Thermo-optic response can support thermal locking during soliton operation, enabling resonance tracking and thereby extending the tuning range, albeit modestly. However, it also induces pronounced thermal instability during soliton initiation, hindering reliable access to this extended operating regime and limiting practical deployment in applications requiring frequency agility. Here we show that strong mode coupling reshapes the effective detuning trajectory governing soliton formation, establishing a distinct operating regime in which thermo-optic response is significantly reinforced and constructively harnessed. In this regime, soliton formation proceeds without the thermal instability inherent to conventional operation, enabling robust soliton generation in material platforms previously limited by strong thermal effects. Importantly, the enhanced thermo-optic response strengthens thermal locking during soliton operation, enabling more effective resonance tracking and substantially extending the tuning range. Leveraging this regime in AlGaAs-on-insulator multimode microresonators, we demonstrate soliton generation with a tuning range approaching 100 GHz at a pump power of 32 mW. The same mechanism further enables frequency-agile operation through direct pump-frequency tuning without auxiliary stabilization, allowing massively parallel chirped comb generation with more than 90 channels exhibiting frequency excursions exceeding 10 GHz. These results establish a general operating principle for transforming thermo-optic effects from a limiting factor into an active resource, enabling robust and frequency-agile integrated soliton microcombs.
